Dethroned Queen
by A.SnowF
Summary: Maxime Muller is a lost soul with no future and a vague tendency to flee her past in burglaries... Until the moment one of them gets her involved with something bigger than her ; Harry Hart, and the Kingsman Agency. Being the new Lancelot would've looked like a new hope if only it didn't reawaken memories she thought she had forgotten.
1. I

**Disclaimer :** All rights belong to their owner.

 **Spoilers :** This fiction follows the general course of the movie, so I'd advice you not to read if if you haven't seen the said movie.

 **Rating :** T, for strong language and situations. Nothing traumatic, though.

 **A/N :** Maxime Muller's character is a personal building which affects the course of the story. Anyway, as my mother language is not English, I may or may not do spelling/grammar/conjugation/syntax mistakes, and I'm sorry if it disturbs you too much. I wish you a great reading, feel free to comment at any time !

* * *

 **Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **I**

It was a hell of a day. No but really, it was. It had begun quite well, actually. She'd been preparing this for days. She'd studied every cameras, every security lock, every single little something that could have betrayed her. Really, everything had been prepared. Of course, it was weird that something so insignificant as a tailor could use so much security and, of course, it was weird that there was no money in the till. But she'd seen weirder than that.

But again, of course, she'd been caught. This bald man had come and stopped her from doing… Well, robbery that was. It was not the first time some owner came at the middle of her transaction, so she just raised her hands, submissive. Nothing good would come from her trying to escape. Plus, the guy didn't seem so angry, but rather… Well, surprised, to say the least. Dumbfounded was a bit more fitting here. He had ordered her to stay there with the purest Oxford accent she'd ever heard. _Fucking nobility,_ she'd thought.

It didn't last long, though. As she was trying to understand the difference between Oxford and Brogues, another man entered the shop. He was wearing the same kind of uptight suit, the same glasses than the bald one. They exchanged a few words, glaring at her. This one was slightly older than the first one, but she was not so sure. He looked older because of his hair, sprinkled with grey. Since the other had not hair, well…

He finally came in front of her, scrutinizing her face, her body as a whole. She could've felt awkward, but there was nothing but pure curiosity in his eyes. No perversion. No lust. _I guess I will not be able to pay in kind…_ She was not so found of this kind of… Settlement, anyway.

"Hello, young lady," he said with the exact same pure English-born accent. "I've heard you're in troubles.

\- As it seems. I didn't take anything, if that's what bothering y'all. Really, I couldn't find anything interesting.

\- By interesting, I reckon you mean valuable ?

\- Well, usually when you break into a shop, you search for valuable stuff." She frowned. "But you can't know that, do you ? You're not the type of guy to steal anything.

\- You'd be surprised."

He sat in front of her, taking care to unbutton his jacket. She rolled her eyes. All these manners. All these precautions not to crease his perfect suit. They were not from the same world and neither of them could understand the other. Still, she didn't understand why the bald one hadn't called the police instead of his… _Boyfriend ?_ Maybe he was the owner, and the egghead was just an employee. Still, for an employee, he was all dressed-up.

"Soooo ? We're going to stare at each other like an old married couple ?

\- I actually have a couple of questions to ask you, if it's not too much.

\- You know I tried to rob you, right ?" she asked suspiciously. "So what the heck are you doing ?

\- I'm polite. I know, it sounds stupid in such a situation but it's a matter of manners. Shall we begin ?

\- Begin, begin. I've not other choice anyway."

He smiled slightly. It almost made him younger, even if he still was an old lad. She crossed her arms on her chest and waited for his questions. She was not going to tell him the truth, if he was going to ask her how she managed not to be detected by the cameras, the thermic detectors and all his security gear. She was going to serve him up the same story as usual : luck, talent, experience. The three combined. He didn't look like the gullible type, so it was going to be a bit more difficult.

"You probably know my first question, but how did you manage to come here without being detected ? We've set up a great number of security devices.

\- Yeah, well. I don't know, talent. Luck. Experience. Pick yours and leave the rest.

\- And you know I'm not believing this," he retorted. "But let's continue. What did you find here ?

\- You don't know what's inside your own shop ? Well, there are those nice suits, those fine bow ties… Some leather shoes. Oh, by the way, maybe you can explain me what are Oxford and why they're so different from Brogues ?

\- Glad to see you appreciate our goods. But that's not my question."

He seemed to grow more serious, more grave. As if it was something much more important than just clothes, even luxury ones. She tilted her head and shrugged. She just had the time to see that there was no money anywhere, nothing else. She looked around. It was in the old English style, tartan and dark wood, pretty traditional and stuffy. It didn't really look like money laundering, though she was not an expert on drug and mafia issues.

And the guy didn't look like a mafia member. He probably had blue blood, a title. Maybe he was usually called a sir, or a lord. He was way too better off to need this kind of… Business to dirty his hands. Plus, a mafia man would have killed her right away.

"I didn't find anything, or else I would've had it in my bag. Your mate went just after seeing me on your screens, so…

\- Our screens," he repeated thoughtfully. "I see. Well, then I guess you can go.

\- I can… What ? I can go ?

\- That's what I said, yes."

She blinked a few times, trying to have a grasp of what was happening. _I can go._ It was rather unexpected. Most of the times, the police came, threatened her and released her after a night in custody. But no owner had ever told her to go free. She frowned, then looked around. Surely it was a joke of some kind. He wasn't going to wriggle out of this. Isn't it ?

She held her bag tight in her hand and stood up. He settled for just watching her with this inscrutable gaze of his. It was almost scary, and she was not one for being scared this easily.

"Where's the trap ?" she finally asked. "I'm going to find the police outside, right ?

\- You're not. No one saw you there, apart from my colleague. Which is quite impressive, considering the level of protection we've put on the shop.

\- I've told you, it's just…

\- Luck and talent. Mostly talent if I dare say." He smiled and elegantly crossed his legs. "As I told you, you may go. Now, if you're not in a hurry, I have some proposal to make.

\- Proposal ? What d'you mean ?

\- Wait a second, will you ?"

This time, he stood up and went in the backroom. She heard the both of them talking and bit her lips. She could fly. He would not follow her, if he was to be trusted. But there was something in the way he talked, apart from his fancy accent, that held her attention. He was curious, but not about her intrusion. About herself. Even if it was just because he needed a seller, she just _had_ to know what it was all about.

So she sat again, and waited. It took him a few minutes before he came back with a bunch of papers. He smiled politely and buried himself in his files. Impatient and vaguely concerned, she couldn't help but moving about her legs, her hands. When he finally spoke, she froze.

"Maxime Clara Muller. Born the eighth of January of 1993 in Paris. Impressive educational background, very high IQ, baccalaureate with distinction and then… Nothing. No trace of you whatsoever. What a waste of potential to have given up on studies.

\- Where… Where have you found this ?" she stammered, unsettled. "It's private, you…

\- Yes it is. Though your personal life became slightly less personal when you decided to break into this shop."

He threw the papers on the coffee table between them and sighed. She took them. Everything was in there, from family photographs to her university's registration file. _My fucking god._ She hadn't even seen most of these documents. There were all of her academic records, everything from kindergarten to high school. Teachers she had forgotten, classes she couldn't remember of, events she didn't cared the least about. But it was hers, and hers alone. No one should have been able to have access to all of this. She gulped and raised her eyes to meet his.

He was dreadfully calm, as if he'd done nothing wrong. _O'course it's so natural for him !_ He was used to have everything under control, under _his_ control. To know everything. To do anything. She felt almost violated. And actually, she was.

"I'm going to be frank with you, Maxime, what you did is seriously problematic. Firstly because you tried to steal us, but it's really not that important, and secondly because you almost managed to do it. And it's a disgrace, really, since we're supposed to have the most efficient security system of the whole Great Britain. Possibly Europe, for that matter.

\- A tailor shop… Has the most efficient security system of the country ? It doesn't make any sense. Nothing makes sense, why do you have my file here ? Who gave it to you ?

\- No one. I took it," he answered bluntly. "So you really think this is just a fancy clothes shop ?

\- What the bloody hell is going on ? Is this a candid camera ?"

She shook her head and crumpled the papers. It was purely symbolic, she knew he could always find it elsewhere, but there was something wrong here. And she was not going to stay to see it. She stood up and went straight to the entrance. The door was still open, so she just went outside. She dared to look behind her only when she'd turned on the next street. There only she breathed and stopped. _Jesus._ This guy was crazy. Last time she tried to rob a luxury shop, _last time._ Even for money she owed. Anything but that.

She went on until finding a pub to take shelter. She sat in a corner and ordered a coffee. It was cold outside and she not dressed to support it. A big coat was not the perfect outfit not to be detected. She sighed and tried to compose herself. It was a big joke. Those men just wanted to scare her a little bit. And it worked. It took a while before she convinced herself it was nothing and she could just go home and sleep it off.

That was she was planning to do anyway. When she called the waiter to pay her coffee, he told her someone had already paid it. And of course, this someone was not there anymore. She thanked him with a trembling voice and went outside. It was raining. _Why. Of. Course._ She mumbled and cursed herself with her stupid ideas while looking around. And stopping her gaze on a well dressed man with a black umbrella.

"I thought maybe you could use a bit of protection," he said while offering his arm. She didn't make a move. "Our conversation isn't nearly finished.

\- You said I could go. So I went.

\- But you waited for me when I asked you to. I know this seems a bit… Odd, but you should listen to me. May I walk you back home ?

\- You already know my address anyway," she sighed. "Creep."

He smiled and began to walk. She followed him. At least, she would not get soaked. Maybe killed or abducted, but dryly. _Yay. Lucky me._ He didn't even try to fake it, and just went right to her home. Well, home. Where she lived, anyway. It was broken, dirty and poor, probably not something he was used to, but he didn't comment. He just continued. Somehow she was… Grateful for that.

He stopped a few blocks ahead of hers. The rain had stopped, so he packed his umbrella to look hard at her. It felt weird, being scrutinized by an elderly. Even if he was not exactly the common elderly.

"What I meant, when saying that we had the hardest security system, is that you went through it with an… Unusual ease.

\- Not so unusual since your pal saw me.

\- Truth is, there were no screens. He just saw you by chance, nothing else. If he'd been a bit late for work, he wouldn't have found you," he corrected. "You could be a real asset for us.

\- A tailor asset ?

\- It has nothing to do with tailoring, Maxime. Maybe we could…

\- Max !"

He stopped, interrupted by a scream at the other side of the road. She closed her eyes and almost face palmed. This day was a complete, an utter hell. No way it could've gotten any worse than this. The guy who'd screamed came toward them and ogled them. Especially her new… Friend ? Well, his look didn't really belong in the place. But he didn't seem so scared, for a blue-blood man.

He should've. She knew the lad, and the lad knew her. She owed him money, money she was supposed to have. Money she'd been searching in the shop. Johnson was his name, though she didn't know if it was real or some sort of pseudonym. He burst into laughter when he thought he'd understood the situation.

"My, my. So that's your sugar daddy ? Hope he gave you the money you're supposed to give me, uh ?

\- I'll have it," she assured. "I just need…

\- More nights ? Yeah, see what you mean. Y'know you could've just told me you wanted to pay in kind."

She gritted her teeth. She truly hated him and his raucous jokes. He was nothing but an arsehole and she would've given anything to have him humiliated the same way he loved to humiliate everyone around him. Her companion didn't say anything, apparently taking no umbrage with his innuendos. _I'd gladly see you react, old pal._

She smiled deceitfully and tried to go on walking but he stood in her way. When he tried to take her arms, her suited fellow reacted at last and pushed him. Faintly, weakly. _Not that way…_ She tried to tell him not to interfere but he didn't listen.

"You should listen to her, Granddaddy. If you need other gals to rent, they're on the corner of Smith's Street.

\- He ain't joking, you should go," she pressed him. "I can deal with it.

\- I certainly hope so, but I've had a rather emotional day and I need a bit of… Distraction."

He handed her his umbrella and pushed Johnson once again. She was on the verge of collapsing, both of awkwardness and fear of what was going to happen. But well, maybe once the old guy would be knocked down he would just leave her alone ? She'd already fled a couple of places anyway. Doing it again was routine.

He buttoned up his jacket slowly, while Johnson was just watching him, speechless. Being provoked by a fifty-something year old man was not something he would have expected. Still he smiled and spit on the floor. _Gross._

"I'd loved to kick your arse, Daddy, but I've other fishes to fry, y'see ?

I'm going to teach you something, though I'm not sure you'll remember it by the end of the day," he just retorted. "Manners maketh man. I'm sure you don't what that means, but I'm going to show you."

Unable to understand half of what he was saying, Johnson grew a bit angrier and threw himself against him. Well, more precisely, he tried to, because the man avoided his punch with absolutely no effort.

What happened next, she wasn't entirely sure she got it right. It looked like some secret dance only him knew. The fight was always graceful, at least from the part of her mate, and it would've been a beautiful sight if it was not for the blood spilled. She could've never told a suit would allow a man to fight that way – with fists and feet, but it did. He took absolutely no blow, while Johnson found himself smashed-up on the floor within one or two minutes.

She couldn't say anything, couldn't even move. Everything had happened so fast that she didn't know if it was the reality or some fantasy caused by some drug. She looked around and this time she cursed. _Of course_ it could get worse. Johnson's friends had seen everything and now they wanted to fight the elderly. He ordered her to stay aside and the dance resumed.

This time it went longer, and more violent. Again, nothing touched him while he managed to knocked them down, one by one, by slamming them against the fences, returning their knives against them or just by crashing their skulls on the sidewalk. In the end, ten guys were lying on the floor, covered in blood and, for some, probably dead. She gasped, trying to stay calm. She was used to see blood and dead people – it was common platitude in her world. But this way ! She'd never seen anyone fighting like this. In a suit. At this age. With this class. He turned toward her and gestured her. She didn't understand.

"It's raining again. The umbrella, please ?"

She gave it back to him and tried to find her words. It was not this easy in such a situation. He opened it and straightened up his glasses. His suit was still perfectly tidied. _What the fuck did I just watch ?_

She was going to ask him if she was dreaming when she saw Johnson getting back on his feet, clumsily. He was holding a gun.

"Watch o—"

She couldn't even finish that a detonation rang out. Not from Johnson. From the umbrella. _From the umbrella ?!_ It had fired a single bullet between his eyes. The weapon fell first, then the body followed. And she just stood there, motionless, making no sound. _Savage,_ was the only word that came to her mind.

She didn't even feel the rain slowly drenching her clothes. The scene was unbelievable, really. There was no word to describe it. It was… Fucked-up. Yeah, fucked-up worked fitted just well.

"I'm sorry you had to witness this," she heard behind her. "I had to let off a little steam, you see ? A friend of mine died yesterday. I do really apologize, though, I shouldn't have done this in front of you. Now I'm afraid you'll have to forget this…

\- Wow, wait a sec ! I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear ! If there's something I can do, it's keep my mouth shut.

\- You won't tell a soul ?

\- Yeah, yeah, I swear on whatever you want me to swear !

\- Much appreciated… Max."

She turned toward him. He was smiling, under his fancy shotgun umbrella. He was holding something in his other hand, but it disappeared inside one of his pocket as soon as she'd seen it. _The forgetting device, maybe ?_ She crossed her arms against her chest, not knowing if it was because of the cold or because of the situation as a whole. Both, probably.

"As I was saying before those gentlemen interrupted us, maybe we could go in your house or mine to talk a little bit of what the "tailor" really is ?

\- My… I'm not sure you'd like to stay in the area after that, y'know.

\- Well, then we'll go to mine," he said, quite satisfied. "I hope they were not friends of yours.

\- Not… Really.

\- Good. They didn't look much like good company."

He took his phone and tapped something on the screen. He gestured her to come under the umbrella. She only did it because she began to feel water flowing along her arms and legs. They waited for, what, a minute, then a car arrived. With no driver. She goggled and sat on the back. He took the wheel and drove in perfect silence. _I think I'm living a nightmare. A bloody nightmare._

He drove for a while, and it was only natural. From the slums he went to the richest neighbourhoods, where houses were magnificent and huge. She looked outside, trying to understand where one ended and where the other began. He parked himself in the courtyard of a private mansion and opened her door. The leather of the seat was soaked. _Oh fuck._ If he saw it, though, he didn't say anything. He just leaded her into the house.

It was beautiful, really. Fancy, of course, but modern and bright. Not old and heavy like the tailor. She felt out of place, suddenly, and stayed in the entrance. He took off his coat, his umbrella, hung them on pegs and sighed. _Home sweet home… I guess._ He went right into the kitchen and made tea, or what looked like tea.

It took him a minute or two to figure out she was not with him. He frowned and ordered her to come. She hesitated.

"I'm soaked. I don't want to…

\- What a terrible host I'm making," he said, almost theatrically. "I'm giving you dry clothes in a second.

\- You don't have to…

\- Wait here."

He disappeared in a corridor, rummaged through his wardrobe and finally found some clothes. He handed them to her and showed her a bathroom. She thanked him, embarrassed, and entered it. She locked it, by habits more than by security, and looked at the clothing. It was simple, a white tank top and a pair of jeans, but it looked like her size. He had a good eye. Or maybe he was used to see women. He was supposed to be a tailor, wasn't he ?

She dressed and put her soaked clothes in the washbasin. She would take them back when he would be done with her. _Whatever that will mean._ When she came back in the living room, he was sitting on a huge armchair, sitting his cup of tea. _When am I supposed to tell him I don't like tea ?_ It would almost sound like a capital offense to a pure British. She sat in front of him and crossed his arms. And legs.

"They suit you quite well," he said, showing the clothing she was wearing. "I apologize, I don't have much female clothes.

\- It's ok. It's dry, it's all that matters.

\- Good. Maybe we can come to our subject then."


	2. II

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **II**

"And what is the subject ?

\- Your intrusion in what you thought was a tailor.

\- And what was it ?

\- The headquarter of a secret agency."

She burst into laughter. He looked so serious, so calm, so imperious that it just sounded stupid. _Or not._ Of course he'd been impressive, back in the street. But maybe he was just into Krav Maga. Or any other type of martial art she had no idea about. Or maybe she had drunk something drugged. Maybe she was asleep right now and she would soon wake up.

But her laugh died when he tilted his head, patiently. She sighed, suddenly tired, and nodded faintly. Now that she was there, she had nothing to do but listen to this non-sense.

"And you're obviously part of this secret agency ?" He smiled. She just closed her eyes. " _Putain de merde._

\- No need to be this rude, Maxime. I'm going to explain it to you.

\- Yeah, you better. 'Cause it all looks like a bloody joke.

\- I imagine I does." He paused and put down his tea cup. "Since 1849, Kingsman Tailors have clothed the world's most powerful individuals. In 1919, a great number of them had lost their heirs to World War One. That meant a lot of money going uninherited… And a lot of powerful men with a desire to preserve peace and protect life. Our founders realized that they could channel their wealth and influence for a greater good.

\- Yeah, try to make me believe you're pursuing world's peace."

She was intentionally bitter. She knew better than that. Government's agencies were never into peace, greater good and public interest. The powerful's interest, on the contrary… He shook his head slowly and crossed his legs.

"We are. You have understood me wrong, we're not a governmental agency. We're independent, international and we're operating at the highest level of discretion without the politics and bureaucracy to undermine our integrity.

\- Absolutely fascinating. And if you're operating at this highest level of discretion, why are you telling me all this ?

\- Because of what you did. You could have found our secret, if only you'd had the time." He took something vaguely looking like a pen out of his pocket. "Of course, I can make you forget everything that happened today. But it would such a waste of potential…

\- Wait, if this thing working like the thingummy in Men in Black ?

\- Rougly, yes. You have two choices. You go back to your thuggish old life or you can become a Kingsman."

She blinked and kept quiet for a moment. It all sounded weird as hell, probably because it _was_ weird as hell. But somehow it sounded true. The man didn't look like a joker. And it could explain why there was absolutely no money in the tailor. And how he'd killed those Chavs without even sweating the slightest.

And her life… He was right about it. Thuggish life. She wouldn't have said it differently. She was tired of this, it'd been almost five years she was scraping a living here and there, moving as soon as she would get in trouble. She missed having a routine, something plain, simple. She wanted her life-before-it-happened back. Of course, it's not exactly what was offering her… But maybe it could be a fresh start. _I don't have anything to lose anyway._

"Let's say I accept. And I'm not saying that I do accept, I'm just hypothesising here. What does it mean ?

\- It means that you'll have to adapt, to learn in order to transform yourself," he explained, a smile in his voice. "It will not be easy, I warn you. But I'm sure you will do well.

\- I've already adapted to much worst environments. I can do this.

\- So you're interested ?

\- I'm not betting much."

He nodded, satisfied. Now that she'd said it, she was not so sure about it. Secret agent. It was not the most secure job of this world. And she didn't have the most incredible resume. But well. Would things turn wrong, she would just fly away and go back to her wanderer life. No one would know about it. Except for her and the man. By the way…

"If I'm supposed to trust you, can you at least tell me your name ?

\- My name is Harry Hart. But you won't hear it often, when you get in the training centre. My alias is Galahad.

\- The pure. The only one who would sit on the Siege Perilous, next to King Arthur," she said thoughtfully. "Do all Kingsmen have a Arthurian nickname ?

\- Yes, they do. The vacant post in Lancelot's one.

\- He who betrays Arthur in the end. Such a good omen."

He screwed his eyes up and stared at her. _Did I say something wrong ?_ She lowered her eyes awkwardly and looked around. The house really seemed huge. Way too huge for a single man. Maybe he was married. She wasn't sure, though. He looked like an old bachelor. A good-looking old bachelor, maybe, but still single. Maybe his job didn't allow much of a romantic life. _Maybe he's gay._

No matter how much she tried to derive his attention, he still was glaring at her. When he finally turned his eyes off her, he laughed. She frowned. Was she hitting on her or was he just trying to make her understand something ?

"What did I…

\- No, I'm just surprised you know so much about Arthurian legends.

\- You think I'm too much of a Chav to know anything ?" She grumbled. "I'm not illiterate, y'know.

\- Of course you're not. But don't take legends too seriously. It's just a way for us not be recognized.

\- By the way, won't they be mad I'm not English ?

\- Probably," he admitted. "Mostly because of your accent, I guess.

\- My accent ? But I'm fluent !

\- For a French, yes, you are."

She rolled her eyes. He stood up and took the trail back into the kitchen. She softly apologized about her tea being still full but he shrugged. He put everything in the sink and gestured her to follow him. _Well. I guess now's too late to give up._ He leaded her right into something that looked like a broom cupboard and checked his watch. She cleared her throat and slipped next to him.

 _Now that's embarrassing._ He smiled and showed her one of the hangers on the wall.

"Would you mind pulling it ?

\- Pull… What ? The peg ?

\- Please."

So she did it. And they start going down slowly. _So the cupboard was an elevator._ Fancy. So Fancy. And they went down a great long time, before arriving in front of what looked like the tub. Littler, however. Two places. He sat, she did the same in front of him, the door closed and... It reminded her of Space Mountain, in Disneyland.

When they both got out, she almost threw up. He looked completely untouched and told her to hurry up. They were late, apparently. Late to what, good question, still she obeyed. She stopped for a second in front of a bay-window showing every that was happening underneath. It was a gigantic shed, with planes, cars and weapons everywhere. She put a hand on her shoulder to lead her to what looked like a dorm already filled with young people. There were only two girls, the rest of them were boys. _Oh my fucking god._ They were all rich as hell. It was showing.

"Galahad. Late again.

\- You know me, Merlin," smiled Harry. "Good Luck Maxime."

He disappeared in the corridor, leaving her with the spoiled brats. _Géniale._ She joined them and mimicked their gesture. They were standing like soldiers. It was beyond ridiculous, in their plaid suits, but well. When she turned toward the so-called Merlin, she froze.

He was the one who saw her, back in the tailor shop. He eyed her for a moment, apparently surprised but trying not to show it, and looked at the list in his hands. He then put them at ease and scrutinized them all.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Merlin. You are about to embark on what is probably the most dangerous job interview in the world," he declared. "One of you and only one of you will become the next Lancelot. Can anybody tell me what it is ?

\- A body bag.

\- A body bag who ?

\- Sir," she corrected. "A body bag, _sir._

\- Correct, Maxime. In a moment you will all collect a body bag. You will write your name of that bag, as well as the details of your next of kin. That represents the acknowledgment of the risk you face… And your agreement to strict confidentiality." He paused for a second. "If you break it, you and your next of kin will end in this bag. Understood ? Excellent."

He stormed out of the room. She almost started laughing. _I'm fucked,_ she thought. Next of kin. She had no one left. Except for Harry, apparently, but she was not going to write his name, right ? Plus, she had no idea if he had a phone number. Everyone around her started writing on their body bag, so she just did the same. She just didn't fill the area of contact. They would write whatever they'd want to see written.

She sat on her bed and looked at everyone around her. They were slightly younger than her, or at least they looked younger. They already had all started to brag about their colleges and universities, about their cars and all these things she didn't give a shit about. She had nothing but her bag and there was nothing in this bag except a water bottle and her handkerchief. She put in under her bed.

"Hello, hm… Maxime, is that it ?" She heard above her. One of the two girls was smiling at her. "My name's Roxane. Roxy, if you please.

\- Hey, Max, where did they dig you up ?

\- We're not supposed to discuss who proposed us !

\- Anyway," she retorted. "Who are you, exactly ?

\- Charlie, and this is Rufus. Oxford or Cambridge ?

\- Neither.

\- St Andrews ? Durham ?"

She frowned. She'd been in university… For two months. Law school, more precisely. It was nice. Until the moment every broke down and she couldn't just fake normality anymore. She'd left before the term's finals. And never returned. She didn't really miss it – it was a fucked up environment to live in, in the first place. And she was clearly not in the mood of bearing those snobbish professors and their neurotic requirements.

But clearly they were not exactly in the same situation. They were college boys and girls, even Roxy who looked like the less stupid one. They were born with a bloody silver teaspoon in their arse. _So am I, actually._ But life had taken care of her silver teaspoon, no problem with that. It was far, far away from her.

"Oh, I got it," the Charlie-brat said. "You're not English, are you ?

\- Good shot.

\- I don't know any university in France… Hey, Rufus, will you tell me a bit more of this girlfriend of yours ?

\- Don't take any notice of those guys," Roxy said when his attention had turned. "As for the body bags… Classic army technique. Scare tactic, no one's gonna die.

\- Shame."

She smiled to the girl. She seemed good-natured, polite and humble. _Maybe she's not going to be as stuck-up as the rest._ A few minutes later, some guys came to pick the bags and to tell them to go to sleep as soon as possible. They needed rest for what was to happen the following day. She didn't discuss the order, for once, and went through her lockers to find something to sleep in. She changed while the boys were in the bathroom and only took a shower when everyone was already in bed. She needed some alone time.

Under the hot water, she couldn't help but think of what had happened all day long. It was like a dream. She wasn't even sure she was herself at that moment. She only knew she'd gotten involved in something greater than her, something she didn't really understand. But maybe it was exactly what she needed. A goal. Something to pursue, even if it was some Arthurian name. When she went out of the shower, she stopped in front of the mirror. Her hair was soaked and she was still naked. Nothing had changed. The same ashy blond hair. The same brown eyes. The same body, the same scars here and there. _I'm still myself._ And it was reassuring.

She went to bed slowly and didn't wait so much to get to sleep. She was tired and the nice bed did the rest. But, of course, it didn't last enough. They got woken up by 6am and were ordered to report to the mess to take their breakfast and begin the first test. She did everything like a robot : dressing, tying her too short hair, eating, following the group. She really woke up when Merlin appeared. She stood to attention, and only went at ease when he said so. _I'm becoming a perfect little soldier._ He called several names, two by two, to constitute teams, until there was only her left. He asked her to follow him. He opened her the door of what look like a command post covered with screens. A chair was sealed on the floor. In front of this chair, a keyboard was installed.

She turned toward him, inquiring. He gestured her to sit and clear his throat. The screens switched on and the five teams appeared. She didn't know all their names, but Charlie, Roxy and Rufus were in three different teams. They were in five different rooms and, according to the sixth screens showing a plan of the area, the first three were at the same floor whereas the two last were underneath. The doors were all highlighted in red except hers. It was green.

"Listen to me very carefully, all of you. I'm in the control room with Maxime," Merlin said, calmly. "As soon as I'm out of the building you all are in, a fire will be lit. Maxime will be in control of the firebreak doors. Only two doors can be closed at the same time, including the command room's one. You'll see that some combinations are impossible to achieve. You will be put in contact with her as soon as the fire will begin. Try to stay alive.

\- Hey, wait !"

But he went out. The door closed itself on him. She breathed deeply. Two doors, hers included. So only one if she wanted to stay alive. She closed her eyes for a second and heard the mikes going on. On the screens, her fellows were only dots with names. And they were slightly moving, probably trying to cure their stress. _I have their lives on my shoulders. What did Roxy said, again ?_ No one's gonna die. Right.

Suddenly, black areas began to form on the screens. It was the fire. And it was going really fast. She took her headset and switched it on.

"You all hear me ?

\- Yeah," screamed Charlie. "You better get me out of this !

\- The fire is starting near your group, Rufus, Andrew, go in the corridor. Yeah, like that, enter the room at your left.

\- Okay, so we're four in one room now. We smell smoke, it's normal, right ?

\- Yes… I guess," she said. "I'm locking your door. Find a way to go out of this place. There's a window behind you.

\- And us ?! We're not going to burn !"

She sighed. For now, the fire only extended to the floor where the first three teams were. It was racing in the corridors and it was going to soon reach the next room. She glared at the plan. There was another door, at the back. It was closed. _Why the hell is it closed ?_ She tried to open it, screaming answered her.

"You opened back our door !" The dots began to regroup at the back of the room. "What the fuck are you doing ?!

\- I can't open their exit door without opening yours, you have to go out !

\- We're at twenty feet from the ground, we can't go out !

\- Are you telling me you're afraid of heights ?! There are gutters, just cling on them !" She tried to stay calm. "James, Peter, go through the door I just opened. There are stairs, you will join Roxy and Craig. Hurry !"

The dots began to move again. James and Peter indeed took the stairs and indeed found Roxy's team. She breathed for a second and went back to Rufus and the others' case. They were all grouped next to the windows. She closed back their doors to give them time to go out.

When she lowered her eyes on the lower floor's screens, she gasped. Fire had gone faster than she had expected it to. _Oh merde, merde, fuck !_ It was rushing in the corridors from both sides, threatening the two teams' rooms. And she would only be able to close one door, when the boys would be done with their roof escape. She looked around. Nothing but pipes. She almost smelled smoke. She was surrounded by fire, according to the plan. _I can't unlock my door._

"Maxime ?!

\- We've got a problem, pals," she said. "Fire is coming right to all of you. I can't close both your doors.

\- What do you mean you can't ?!

\- I just can't, remember what Merlin said ?

\- Wait, you're not going to let me die ?!" Charlie screamed in her ears. She grimaced. "Just close our fucking door and let the others find their solution !

\- You must be kidding me, Charlie, you want us to die in place of you ?!

\- I'm richer than you anyway, my father needs me and I…

\- OH SHUT UP FOR FUCK'S SAKE !"

Everyone went quiet. Rufus' group was outside. She unlocked their door. She couldn't decide. She was not going to let Roxy die. Charlie, on the other side… _No, no way._ No innocent was going to die. He was probably an asshole but he was innocent. He hadn't deserve it. _Roxy neither ! Oh putain, une solution, n'importe laquelle…_

Once again, she looked around. Nothing but those stupid pipes… _Pipes…_ She stood up and came near on them. It was water pipes. And it was fragile. She could break it with her bare hands. She looked at the screens. Her door, still locked. She gulped. She had a solution. They are locked. She flood her room, hoping it would be enough to stop the fire from burning her alive. _I'm going to die._

 _Wait a second._ She didn't deserve it either. She had done nothing wrong. Of course, she was a thief, but did she deserve to die ? _Hell, no !_ But she was in control. Maybe she'd done something wrong. If she'd cared about the lower floor before, maybe she could've found another solution. But she hadn't. And it was her only fault. She tried to breath. _Well. I should have died years ago anyway, I guess._ She came back to the screens.

"MAXIME !

\- I have a solution. Just wait a second."

She closed Roxy's door. She heard the four of them sighing in relief. Then she turned toward the nearest pipe and gave it kicks, and kicks, and kicks. It moaned, bended, leaked and broke and almost exploded. She hid her face and stepped backward to the keyboard. She couldn't see anything, water was going everywhere.

"MAXIME !

\- Just…

\- We can't wait, the fire's entering !"

There was not enough water in her room. _What do I do, what do I…_ She breathed heavily. She had no other choices anyway. It was her, burning or drowning, or them. So she unlocked her door. Lock Charlie's. _Heat never bothered me, anyway._


	3. III

**A/N :** Warning for crude language here.

* * *

 **Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **III**

She managed to smash another pipe, then another one, before smoke filled the room and made her suffocate. Of course, fire'd been stopped by the flooding, but the smoke… She kneeled, trying to find some air but only managed to choke even more. _Oh fuck, fuck._ She couldn't really hear what was going out outside and the screens had broken due to the flooding.

"Guys ?" she tried. "Guys ? Is there any… Anybody there ?"

No one answered, of course. The line was cut. She threw her headsets and cursed. Where was Merlin when needed ? She was not supposed to die. _Or am I ? Is it all a punishment for trying to break into their headquarter ?_ It didn't make sense. Harry wouldn't have been so patient to wait for her to suffocate in a room full of water and smoke. He was English, but not stupid. Nor overdramatic.

Sitting on the water, trying to breath, her eyesight was becoming more and more blurry. She didn't know if it was because of the tears provoked by the heat and the smoke, or because she couldn't find oxygen.

She could see the flames, outside of the room, stopped by the flood. They were distant. She wasn't sure they were real. Maybe it was still a dream and she was waking up. _It feels like falling asleep, though._ So much for trying to become a secret agent. Bullshit. She should've stayed in her squat. It was dirty, filthy and she had no future, but at least she was alive.

She was feeling dizzier and dizzier as time was passing. It was quiet, outside, apart from the fire's cracking. The water level was going higher and higher. She could feel it around her waist. _Drowning ? Choking ? Burning ? Pick yours !_ She coughed and grimaced. It was painful. _Let's get this over with !_

She was going to close her eyes when she saw figures of people in fire suit approaching. One of them took her. He put an oxygen mask on her face. _God it tastes so good. Oxygen._ He carried her outside of the room. There was no fire anymore. As if it had disappeared. Her eyelids felt gradually heavier and when she finally closed them, she completely lost sense of reality. And consciousness, by the way.

When she woke up, she was in an anonymous hospital room, her oxygen mask still pressed on her face. She blinked and sat back. Everything was white around her. White, and white and even whiter around the corners. She sighed and took off the mask. _How many time did I spend sleeping ?_ She tried to find something, anything that would give the date or the hour but the room was completely empty except for the bed. And her.

The door suddenly opened on a manly outline. Harry. He was wearing his usual suit. He was carrying a chair that he put next to her bed. His face was unreadable, but she could see a bit of… Pride ? Amusement ? She couldn't tell. But there was something.

"Sleeping Beauty is awake," he smiled. "How do you feel ?

\- Kinda good. I've seen worse.

\- Let's say, when you were in the command room ?

\- Yeah… Well, we did it, didn't we ?

\- A part of you did, yes."

He nodded and showed her the huge screen in front of the bed. She'd thought it was just a one-way mirror. A video recording of the control room was passing before her eyes. She hadn't seen the camera, but it was the top right corner. She smiled when she saw herself fighting with the pipes. _Oh my, it was a so bad idea._ There was no sound, probably because her room was not equipped with speakers. She knew she would've heard cursing. And her one-sided conversation with the others.

When the video stopped, she turned her eyes on Harry. He was looking at her, intensely. _Why does he have to be this insistent ?_ She threw her blankets aside. She was wearing a hospital dress, but the luxury kind. She whistled with admiration and laughed.

"You don't do things by halves, I must give you that.

\- I've seen your recording a couple of times," he said, not even faking interest for what she was saying. "You're the first one who reacted that way, to be honest.

\- Really ? What did the others do ? They killed the poorest and saved the richest ?

\- Actually, yes. But it doesn't mean much things, the only other times we did this test, they were all rich."

He finally loosened up and laughed with her. _Well, I should have known._ He switched off the screen and smiled to her. But there was still something else, and she still wasn't able to say what it was. Her laugh died and she quieted again, not really knowing what to say. He was waiting for her to tell him something but then again, she had no idea what.

Or maybe he was just judging her with a smile. Maybe she had deceived him ? _What did I do ? I survived !_ Even if it was not what they were waiting for, she had survived and everyone was still alive. Wasn't it all that matter ?

"But we're not going to speak about it, Merlin will do it mercilessly. I just wanted to congratulate you.

\- Congratulate… Me ?

\- You saved everyone, though Rufus and Andrew fell of the roof and were evicted." He gestured her not to worry. "They're fine, don't worry. We gathered them before they touched the ground. So, yes, congratulations. I knew you'd do marvels.

\- Oh… Thank you, Harry. I mean, I thought you were going to preach me…

\- I'm certainly going to," she heard Merlin saying. He had just entered the room. "Steel yourself."

She grimaced. From the sound of his voice and the look of his face, she knew it was going to be bad. Real bad. She tried to find comfort in Harry's eyes but he just smiled. _Don't help me, douche._ He glared at his watch and nodded. He stood up and greeted Merlin. Who, of course, wasn't smiling at all. She was starting to think his lips didn't have the ability to move and form a smile.

"I'm sorry, Maxime, but you have to go through this. I must go, I have a mission to complete. Good luck.

\- Thank…" He went out before she could finish her sentence. She closed her eyes then dared to look at Merlin. "Finish me, will you ?

\- You bet I will. What you did was reckless. You wouldn't have had to play the martyr if you'd thought for a second before ordering Rufus' team to move.

\- They're all alive, aren't they ? You should be glad I didn't kill Charlie and his mate."

He had such a stern face. With his black glasses and this baldhead of his. He looked like security guard. A very rich and very noble security guard but still. _He's thinking of killing me right now,_ she thought, amused.

"And why didn't you do it, anyway ? He's been a jerk to you, I reckon.

\- Why didn't I kill him ? Is this a real question ? You…" She stopped and froze. "That was the plan. Isn't it ?

\- A plan ?

\- Yes, a plan. You wanted me to sacrifice him. You thought I was going to kill him because he's an arsehole, and you thought you'd be able to sack me !"

She almost had jumped on her feet. Her drip was holding her back, so she snatched it and settled herself in front of him. Of course, he was way taller than her and way more muscled, but she wasn't scared of him. He would not try anything. And neither would she. _I'm not giving him the pleasure._

He didn't make a move, emotionless. He was even worse than Harry. Not only didn't he know how to smile, but he apparently didn't know how to express any feeling either. Maybe he didn't even know how to feel them, for that matter. He stared at her for a moment, then went back to the door.

"You should go back to the dormitory. We will not wait for you, tomorrow.

\- Of course.

\- Of course ?

\- Of course, _sir._

\- Better. There are clothes in the cupboard. Dress yourself."

He went out. She gritted her teeth and put on with awful plaid suit the others were wearing. _Oh, so we don't have the choice then._ She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked tired. Her skin was greyish, thanks to her lack of oxygenation in the command room.

She found her way to the dorm where the others were resting. As Harry had told her, Rufus and James were gone. Their beds were empty. She smiled to Roxy and sat on her bed. The girl came next to her.

"How are you ? Merlin said you were recovering from your intoxication, but I didn't think you would come back this early.

\- I'm ok, don't worry," Maxime said. "How many times…?

\- Not much, the test was yesterday. You know Merlin lectured us ?

\- Really ?

\- Yes, he said we should've tried to find you as soon as your mike broke," she sighed. She then lowered her voice. "I told them we had to but they didn't listen. Charlie didn't want to. I mean, you risked your arse for him !"

She shook her head and shrugged. She wasn't exactly surprised about Charlie. He was glaring at her from the other side of the dormitory. It was almost sickening. Maybe Harry was insistent, but at least there was no lust in his gaze. _Mon dieu, heureusement*._ But in Charlie's…

She pretended she couldn't see him and went on with her conversation with Roxy. She was the only one out there who didn't cut her dead. And it was refreshing. She was younger than the others, too. Younger than her. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was rather petite. And smiling.

"By the way… Thank you, Maxime. You saved me too.

\- No hassle, Roxy. And just call me Max," she added. "So we're still on the running ?

\- Yes, we are. You're ahead of us, actually.

\- Merlin almost killed me because I acted 'reckless'. I wouldn't call it being ahead.

\- He's harsh but…" She leaned toward her. "He really liked what you did. Galahad too, he was there when they got you out of the control room. Don't worry, you're still very much on the running."

She nodded and came back to the book she was reading. Maxime looked at her for a few seconds, before she stretched out on her bed. _So Merlin just pretended to be angry._ She couldn't help smiling with satisfaction. It'd been a hell of an eternity no one had ever been content with any of her action. Except maybe for the few friends she had made during her wandering time. She always had to leave them at some point, anyway.

Was Roxy sincere, by the way ? She couldn't tell. She was not much into social interactions. Would she be lying to her that she wouldn't be able to notice it. _I'm a fucking mess._ She sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn't really tired. But she thought maybe faking sleep would them to leave her alone.

She had never been more wrong, actually. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Manly hand. She opened her eyes to find Charlie – why of course, above her. He was ludicrously smiling. And he was going to say something even more ludicrous. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for the worse.

"You want to tell me something, maybe ?

\- Yeah, I've a question for you," he said. "Is he big ?

\- Is what big ?

\- Galahad. You must've went down a couple of times to get here, didn't you ? So I'm asking you, is he big ?"

She stood up and faced him. Around them, the others had made some sort of a circle. An arena. _I'm so fucking going to kill you, you spoiled little brat._ He laughed, apparently proud of his joke. Roxy was trying to convince her to drop it, but she repulsed her. She didn't want her to be between them when the first hit would be dropped.

She had known boys like him. Maybe not upper class, but still misogynist douches who thought everything was due to them because they had dicks. Usually, a bit of fake testosterone was enough to calm them. _I should have let you die._ That would have pleased those who tried to make her fail.

"You know, guys who compare their dicks to others' are often the smallest," she retorted. "Y'sure you're really a man, Charlie ?

\- Oh, the peasant is rebelling ! You should taste mine, maybe I could get you a secretary post in my father's business.

\- Sorry pal, when I suck I like having at least something in my mouth.

\- Oh c'mon, whores aren't supposed to be this picky !" he smiled. "Or maybe you'd prefer Merlin ? Or Arthur, perhaps ?"

So the whore punched him. He stumbled on his own feet while retreating and almost fell on the floor. It was her time to laugh. She didn't care much about what he was thinking about her, he could well be taking her for a slag for that matter. Actually, she didn't really know why she was reacting that way. She didn't know Merlin or Arthur, so the innuendo didn't really touch her.

Not, it was Harry. Whoever he was, he had given her a chance and he believed in her, at least quite a bit. And to think a dick like Charlie could imply that he would be able to engage his responsibility for someone _only_ because this someone had slept with him ? It was something she couldn't stand. It was irrational, she didn't know him any better than the others, but he could've sent her to jail. Left her to deal with Johnson. Sent her back to her awful routine. She owed him this.

She managed to dodge his punch and counterattacked. The boy was weaker than he looked, and had apparently never fought anyone with his bare fists. He had no idea what to do with them and just made huge and useless movements of arms in her general direction. She laughed again and let him come near her… Only to raise her knee up to his balls. He screamed and collapsed for good.

She tilted her head. Around them, after some gasps of surprise or second-hand pain, silent had fallen. They were all glaring at her, waiting for her next move.

"I should've let you die, in the building," she spitted out. "You know, that's exactly what they wanted me to do. To have a reason to sack me. Sadly, I appear to be a good person who doesn't really like to see people burning alive.

\- You stupid bitch !

\- Yeah, I'm that too. And you've been knocked down by a stupid bitch."

She turned and pushed one of his friends to get out of their circle. She walked right to the door and opened it. She didn't go out immediately. Instead, she turned toward the group that apparently didn't know what to do with Charlie and her. There was a camera, above them. _Ahoy, Merlin._ She smiled.

"Oh and by the way. I'm afraid I was right about your package. It's ridiculously small."

She heard laughters while she went out. She had no idea where to do, since she was not supposed to be anywhere else than the dorm, so she just walked on the corridors. She was soon going to be found and taken back, anyway. By dint of walking idly, she ended up by getting herself completely lost in the headquarters' maze. She stopped at a dead end and sighed. _And now I can always try to go back to the dorm._

She looked around. There doors everywhere, and behind these doors, even more doors. Secret agent, maybe, but she was absolutely sure even they couldn't find their way in this labyrinth. She ventured to go back, but nothing looked like a corridor more than another corridor.

"Are we lost ?"

She froze and slowly spun round. A man was there, glaring at her. Another Kingsman agent, with the usual suit-glasses-Oxford accent package. _Oh shit._ He seemed a bit younger than both Harry and Merlin, maybe in his mid-forties rather than fifties. His hair was raven-ishly black and, much like Merlin, actually, he didn't seem able to smile. Or to express any feeling whatsoever. His arms were crossed on his chest and he was glaring intensely at her. _So it's a Kingsman habit to make people feel awkward. Noted._

"Yeah, well. I was searching for the loo," she pretended. "Maybe you can show me the way to…

\- It's funny. I've heard Merlin complaining about a young recruit who apparently had punched another before leaving the dormitory. Thing recruits are not supposed to do.

\- Is that so ? Funny, indeed."

She glimpsed what looked like a faint smile. _Miracle !_ He shook his head and showed her one of the three corridors in front of them and led her. She followed him without arguing. She couldn't tell if it was the way she had taken before, but he seemed quite sure of himself. _Maybe there's a way to get your bearings._ She didn't say anything, quite impressed by the man.

Harry, of course, was impressive. But their meeting had been quite unusual, so she never had the chance to really fear his reaction. _The worst that could have happened was me in jail, anyway._ And still, he had been rather friendly with her. Merlin was passive-aggressive and sharp-tongued, but there was nothing really upsetting in him. This one, on the other hand, was cold as ice. She had never met a man like this before, stern to the point that she almost feared he would sent her back to Merlin instead of leading her back to the dorm. She almost tripped over him when he suddenly stopped and turned toward her.

"I'm still wondering if I have to deliver you to Merlin, just so you stop being so undisciplined or if I can just lead you to the others.

\- With all due respect, I really like the second part.

\- I'm sure you do," he said. "So you are the infamous Galahad's protégé. I must say I'm quite deceived.

\- You thought I had horns and devil wings, didn't you ? My bad, I'm just poor. But I'm sure it's almost as frightening. "

This time, he really smiled. It was weird, almost as if it'd been poorly photoshopped on his face. She tilted her head. He seemed a bit more human when smiling, though. She wondered if he appreciated Galahad's decision of proposing her. Merlin seemed not to have the slightest opinion on the subject, but since she was supposed to be _infamous_ , some of them must've hated the idea.

If he had preconceived idea about her, nothing was showing. Maybe he didn't care. Maybe he'd hated her right away. Maybe he was even more uptight than Charlie and cie. _Who has he proposed anyway ?_

"By the way, how did you manage to escape from Merlin's surveillance ? The cameras aren't oblivious, and still you managed not to be seen in any screens.

\- That's the point of being a thief, y'know." She had no idea there were cameras anywhere. Talent, talent. "By the way, Charlie deserved it.

\- Yes, he did. You should have listened to Roxy, however. You wouldn't be here, trying to avoid Merlin.

\- Oh," she smiled. "So she's yours.

\- How would you know ?

\- You called her Roxy. So you know her at least quite a bit."

He nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. He stayed quiet for a while, looking at her dead in the eyes. She maintained his gaze. He was not threatening. And she was no longer over-respectful. If he'd proposed Roxy, he was not as uptight as she thought he could be. And he apparently didn't like Charlie. _Potential ally, maybe ?_

"The dorm is right here," he finally said, pointing a door. "Don't play too much with Merlin's nerves, though. He tends to like the outsider but you don't want to have him against you.

\- I'll try to remember." She paused. "You're not telling him you saw me, right ?

\- I'm not.

\- Oh, neat. And you're…? Gawain ?

\- Percival. Have a good night, Maxime."

He inclined his head and disappeared in a corner. She looked at his direction, then entered the dorm. Charlie was not there, but apart from him, everyone was doing… Things. They didn't really care about her return. She smiled to Roxy and lied again on her bed. _Now, I really rest._

* * *

* _Thank goodness !_


	4. IV

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **IV**

The day after, they all gathered outside the castle – because yes, contrary to what she'd thought, they were not underground but in a splendid English castle in the mid of nowhere – and waited for Merlin to give them their orders. She was wearing an awful off-brown patch suit that absolutely didn't flatter her figure. She was obviously not there to do a fashion show, but still. _Does nobility likes being ridiculous ?_

Charlie was back with what looked like a broken nose. She'd smiled at his sight, though Roxy had nudged her to deter her from doing anything stupid. She was not going to, anyway. Merlin arrived a few minutes after him and inspected them. They were all wearing those terrible clothing so the picture was probably laughable but as she was trying to remember, Merlin didn't have the ability to laugh. He finished his inspection by her and, why of course, hailed her.

"Maxime, what a pleasure to have you here. Would you tell us where you went, yesterday ?

\- Nowhere," she replied sharply. "I've been in the dorm, as you ordered me to.

\- Don't take me for a fool.

\- Do you have records of me being outside ? Recordings ?" She smiled. "If not, then I was inside the dorm.

\- Oh, yes, play the smart Alec, but don't step over the line. We both know what that would mean, don't we ?"

She nodded. Of course she knew. Going back home. _Home._ If it was to be called that way. He shook his head, then took something from his pocket. It was some kind of a remote that opened the huge box in front of them.

Guns. Guns everywhere, of every kind or almost. Snipers, mainly, with some shotgun and hunt rifles. Next to her, the boys started to beam. They were apparently used to this kind of gear. And so was she. She had an older brother, and true to his stereotypical role, he liked guns and war games. And as the absolute non-stereotypical little sister, she used to play with him and his fakes guns. Among them were air-soft snipers. Well, of course it was not the same. They seemed noticeably heavier and bigger, but still she was a good shot. And she knew how to hide, thanks to her escape years.

"As you can probably guess, today we're going to test your ability to use guns," Merlin announced. "But since we're not a hunting club, we added a little challenge with it. There are now nine of you, and today you're all working individually. Or not, you do as you want as long as you don't get killed.

\- Oh nice, so once again we're risking our lives.

\- Yes, Charlie, you are. You have ten minutes to hide yourself in these woods, then a bunch of intelligent androids will go unleashed. Their mission is simple : wound or kill all of you. Escape them, destroy them, but survive in any case."

They didn't make a move, startled. He raised an eyebrow and indicated them that the ten minutes were already flying. She rushed toward the box and took the sniper that looked the most like the one she used to play with when she was younger, a box of ammos and ran. She didn't even take the time to speak with Roxy – for now, she was alone.

The wood was surprisingly thick and the trees, surprisingly tall. She only stopped when she felt short of breath and looked around. There were plenty of places to hide, but the most efficient one would be on the surrounding trees. _You already did worse, Max. You can do this._

She sprinted in the direction of the nearest one and managed to cling on a branch. Luckily she had nothing else than her rifle on her back so she escalated it quite easily. Her suit was not really handy, but she was used to tight jeans so… She reached an upper branch and sat, waiting for the robots to arrive. She loaded her gun and inspected it. It was really not that different from those they played with, except that they were firing plastic marbles and not bullets.

At the very beginning, she couldn't tell if ten minutes had passed or not. It was quiet, dead quiet, in a creepy way. She was prepared to shoot, she had calibrated the sight, but there was absolutely no moves. Until the moment she caught one of her fellow recruits running, hunted down by two robots. They were firing on him. With real bullets. _Perfect._ She could've fired them, or at least one of them, but it would've wasted her cover and he was actually doing pretty well.

She got distracted by other moves, this times way more panicked. She zoomed and recognized Roxy. She was running right into a trap she had spotted before. A hole, hidden under branches and leaves. She frowned. She was a clever girl, surely she would spot it too.

Or not. Robots were waiting for her to fall inside the hole. _Fucking AI._ She aimed one of them, the most distant one, took her breath and shot. It exploded. Roxy jumped and veered off. She lost her sight when she went behind some trees and concentrated herself on her own surroundings again. At her feet, a robot was searching for a target. It was awfully quiet, for something that was _"walking"_ on leaves. She aimed at it…

And lost it. She'd almost got shot, the bullet had landed inside the branch she was sitting on, a few centimetres from her right leg. _Oh fuck, fuck, fuck !_ The robot had spotted her, hearing the loud noise of the bullet, and he was now aiming the aimer. _Putain de merde, merde !*_ She stood up clumsily and jumped to reach a higher branch.

She only managed to hang on it, her feet not touching anything but the air, above the void. She was way too high to drop, she would break her leg or something. She looked around while the robot was scanning the surroundings to find her. _It's not a robot who fired me,_ she realized when she saw the bullets it had shot on the branch she was sitting on a few seconds before. Someone had deliberately broken her cover.

And this someone was hidden behind a tree, his rifle loaded and aiming at the robot. And, why of course again, it was Charlie. She grimaced. For now, she had to stay alive and whole and she wasn't going to keep on clinging on the branch like that. Her arms were already sore and there was no way she could land on another branch. Underneath her, there was nothing but a bush. _Let's hope it's enough,_ she thought while releasing the tree.

Of course, the sound of her fall had attracted the robot's attention and the fall itself was not painless, but the first problem was more important than the second. She aimed at it and shot several times, heart beating hard. It exploded. She stood and let out a moan. She didn't have time to complain, she had to find another place to hide before any of its fellow androids or any of her dear friends came to finish her.

"Maxime, Maxime ?" she heard nearby. "I hope you're not dead, there are plenty of others robots that are looking for you, you know !

\- Oh god shut up," she mumbled, still running. Her leg was hurting but she didn't even want to know why. "Just shut up…

\- You may be wondering why I'm so loud, but you see, I curious to see how you'll deal with them so I'm trying to attract them."

This guy was not a jerk, he was an arsehole, and worse than that, he was probably going to get her killed. She stopped her run behind a huge bush and waited. It was a question of time before they would all arrive her and aim at her. _Réfléchis, réfléchis…**_ She closed her eyes. Her sniper was not going to help if she was to stay at ground level. She raised her eyes. _I can't do this._ She finally looked at her legs. It was not broken and it was not bleeding, but it didn't ease the pain. She probably had strained a muscle, or at least damage it. She gritted her teeth.

 _I'm not going back home._ She stood up, holding up a whine, and climbed the nearest tree. She wasn't able to jump or to go as high as the first time, but she needed height to be efficient. She took her weapon and counted her ammos. She had lost most of them during her fall, and she only had five bullets left. _Oh good, as if I wasn't enough in the shit._ She still loaded her gun and looked around.

Charlie was hidden in another tree, suddenly quiet. And the reason why was rather clear. Seven robots were surrounding him – and her, at the same time. She gave up on him for a second and shot one of them, the closest one. _Four._ She would have to be strategic. They were all distant, she wouldn't be able to use their final explosion as a weapon.

So she aimed at Charlie. _I could shoot right in the head. You wouldn't feel anything._ The guy was trying to kill her. She wasn't able to retaliate, but she was able to use it as bait. Would he be wounded that it would be his own fault. She lowered her aim and shot the little branch under him. _Three._ And it worked. The robots all turned toward his tree and raised their weapons.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DO-"

He got stopped by the firing. His bellowing only got him more identifiable and perceptible, and it was exactly what she wanted. She didn't wait for him to die, however, and shot the robot in the middle. _Two._ When it exploded, it touched the nearest one that exploded to. There were still four of them and Charlie was wasting his ammunitions by firing all around him. _As he ever used a gun before ?_

She shot another one that get on his mate to explode. _One ammo, two robots._ And now they were heading toward her, since she was the only one who managed to touch them. She cursed. She had no other choice than firing her last bullet, hoping that someone would just destroy the last one before he would destroy her. _No ammo, one robot._ Such a good situation.

She jumped from a branch – luckily it was not a high one, and started to run, trying to forget that her leg was getting sorer and sorer. She could hear the bullets flying all around her while she tried to outrun the android. But this shit was fast as hell and she was not at the best of her shape.

But then, there was no robot anymore to follow her. Just an explosion. She stopped, surprised, and looked around. Roxy was glaring at her, a Colt in her hand. She sighed with relief and went toward her, hobbling.

"I've never been so happy to see you, Roxy," she said, trying to compose herself. "Thank you, I think you just saved my life.

\- Now we're even. Why are you limping ?

\- Long story short, Charlie tried to have me dead, I fell into a bush and my leg hurts. But it's okay, I'm alive. Is it over ?

\- I think it was the last one, yes." She nodded. "You want me to support you ?

\- Nah, I'm good, I… Roxy, watch out !"

She jumped on her before the bullet reached her, decking her on the ground, and took her gun from her hand to empty the magazine on the robot. Everything in a second. She dropped the gun and sighed again, tired. _A good night, uh ?_ She stayed like this, sat on the ground, trying to retain a nervous laugh.

And Roxy was glaring at here, probably trying to understand what was going on. When she saw the robot's carcass, she apparently figured it out and shook her head, jaded.

"I guess we're no longer even, then," she said, brushing her hair to take off the leaves inside. "How did you do that ?

\- Do what ? Shoot it ?

\- No, taking my weapon. I almost didn't see you doing it.

\- I… I don't know, I mean…

-And firing from afar ? I know you're the one who destroy the robot that was following me at the very beginning !

\- Everyone," they heard above their head. "The test is over. Find your way back to the castle."

She didn't answer Roxy, firstly because they had to go back to the headquarter, and secondly because she had no answer to give her, apart from the fact that she used to play with guns when she was young. But even with that, she wasn't able to explain _how_ she was doing it so good. The two of them went north, where the castle was, Maxime limping and Roxy supporting her against her will.

When they arrived, most of the others were already there, Charlie included. He was not wounded, as far as it was visible. He almost looked surprised to see them there. She didn't even look at him and waited for the rest to come. Then only Merlin appeared with a list of names.

"Well, you're all alive. That's a good thing, I guess," he declared. "Some of you are harmed, we'll take care of this. Of course, we've been looking at you the whole time. I'm starting with you, Charlie.

\- Yes sir.

\- You're not hurt, that a good point. However, we noted that you lack composure and you tend to miss your shots when you're under pressure.

\- Yes s…

\- Don't interrupt me," Merlin cut. "Plus, we've seen this… Tactic of yours to put your co-trainees in danger to save yourself. That's not possible anymore. You were working individually but in no instance were you supposed to harm anyone. Am I asking too much when I'm telling you to work at least like a team ?

\- No, sir.

\- Good. Go back into the dormitory."

He didn't look at her and went right away. She gritted her teeth. _So much for having being a complete arsehole ?!_ She heard Roxy telling her to stay calm. For once, she listened to her, partly because she was way too tired to start a tantrum. Though she really would've liked to. She waited for her turn, listening to what Merlin had to say. And of course, as if it was on purpose, she was the last one. Half of the whole group had been fired, because of their poor shot or because of their poor reactions. Roxy had been congratulated for her reflexes.

When she found herself alone in front of Merlin, she had to restrain herself from telling him a nice piece of her mind about him, the whole program and their stupid tests. She was still standing, but she was sure it was only thanks to her pride. Her leg was aching and she only wanted to go to sleep. He glared at her.

"Your knee is most probably sprained because of your fall, but that's a minor injury… Even though it could've been avoided.

\- Avoided ? Tell that to Charlie. Apparently you didn't see it quite well, so I'm reminding you : he tried to kill me ! I fell because he broke my cover !

\- Maybe," he admitted. "Maybe he did.

\- And he's still on the running ?!

\- Yes he is. But we're talking about you, aren't we ?"

Raging mad, she nodded and clenched her fists. It was going to be more and more difficult to deal with him if he was able to put her in danger without being himself in danger to go home. _I should've killed him when I had the chance._ She would've pleased those who saw her as a threat, and it would've over. She was over, anyway. Even if she went through all their daft tests, they would find a way to have her out of the race. Now it was clear.

"Yes sir," she replied. "We are.

\- Good. You helped Roxy when she needed it, you managed to take down six robots with four bullets and your strategy of using Charlie as a bait was a nice one. And you have a surprisingly efficient way of stealing someone's gun, I must say.

\- Thank you.

\- You're still on the running, of course.

\- Cool.

\- Cool ?" He raised an eyebrow. "Now that's a little short, for someone so eager to impress than you."

She laughed. It was nervous, it was expected, but still it was awkwardly creepy. She couldn't stop herself from laughing, laughing and laughing again. She was a mess. _I'm fucked-up._ If Galahad, Percival and the others were looking at her, they probably thought she was a creep. And she was, for a part of them anyway.

She stopped when she saw the disapproval in Merlin's eyes. With Roxy, who she was now sure was on her side, he was her only ally. Harry was not there, and even though he said he was proud of her, she wasn't sure it would stay that way for long. She shook her head.

"I'm not eager to impress. I just need to be even more impressive than the others because I'm your fucking punchbag ! Am I really the expendable candidate ?!

\- No, no, no you don't talk to me like that," he retorted, frowning. "If you have a complaint, then you can whisper in my ear.

\- What the fuck ?" She glared at him for a moment before hobbling to him. She gulped before asking, murmuring. "Why didn't you sack him ?

\- Because you're not dead. Now, if you really want to stay, you need to stop complaining. Take that jape off your shoulder and go back to your dormitory."

His voice, low, was a bit gentler. A bit more humane. She inclined her head and didn't add anything. He was right, she knew it. But in a sense, she was too. Charlie would not be fired until the very moment he would've managed to kill her. She was their scapegoat, whatever he may say to dress up the situation. But at least he was not lying to her. She smiled faintly and walked toward the stairs of the castle. She only wanted to sleep a long night with no dream, no Charlie, no anything.

Once she got inside, a nurse took her to a room similar to the one she'd been in during her intoxication. She treated the cuts she had gotten from her fall and put a splint on her leg. She injected her something and told her it would be over by the next morning. She was explaining her how the something was working when someone entered the room. _Percival._ He dismissed the nurse and waited for her to leave before starting to speak.

"Arthur didn't want you to know," he declared with a stern voice. "But Galahad has gotten injured during his mission. He's in a coma right now.

\- What do you mean, he's in a coma ? I- I have to see him !

\- It's not reasonable.

\- The shit I give about it being reasonable ! Lead me to him," she ordered, before remembering who she was talking to. "… Sir."

He smiled, or kind-of, and gestured her to come. She took a crutch and followed him. _Again._

* * *

* _God damnit, shit !_

 _** Find something, find something..._


	5. V

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **V**

The room Percival led her in was the same room she'd just left, except the bed was occupied by a man. _Harry._ It felt weird, seeing him like this, sleeping almost peacefully. If it wasn't for the wires and the drips, she could've thought he was sleeping, indeed. But she knew he was not. There were monitors everywhere, beeping and flickering. She gulped. It reminded her of her brother's hospital room, except that her brother never woke up from his coma.

Merlin was talking to an elderly man, way older than him, Percival and Harry. He had white hair, a heavy wrinkled face and he was wearing the exact same suit as his colleagues. The same glasses. _Arthur,_ she thought. He couldn't be anyone else. He was too old to be a field agent and he looked even more uptight than the others. When she turned to see if Percival was still there, she only saw a closed door. He'd disappeared. She sighed and walked toward the bed, still limping though her leg was not aching anymore.

"What about his footage ?" Arthur asked. "It didn't stream to his home terminal ?

\- Encrypted and uncrackable. If and when he comes out, you might want to have a word with him about sharing his password.

\- Is he gonna be alright ?"

Her voice was weirdly weak, almost childish. Both men turned in her direction. Merlin didn't say anything, as if he was waiting for her to come anyway. Arthur, on the other hand, scrutinized her. Something in her gaze made her feel uncomfortable. She felt like a dangerous animal behind a glass, glared at by some rich man who couldn't find out if he was going to buy the said animal or kill it.

Ill at ease, she looked at Harry. He was not visibly harmed and he didn't seem to suffer. As if nothing had happened. She didn't know why she felt this sad and worried. She didn't know him much, and he didn't know her either. They were not close, no offence to what Charlie thought. But… Something in the way he was lying there, emotionless, made her heart tighten. _You have to wake up, old pal._

"We need to have patience, Max," Merlin replied. "But there is hope. Okay ? If I were you, I'd concentrate on your training. Make it through the test, make him proud. Remember what we said.

\- Yes… Yes sir. Can you bring me up to date, if he's to wake up ?

\- I will. Now go back to your dormitory. Straight, this time, I'm watching.

\- You can't watch if you can't see me," she smiled faintly. "But I will."

She nodded and looked a final time at Harry. _Please, don't leave me alone here. There's no place for me if you're not helping._ She wanted to touch his hand, to leave something for him, but Arthur and Merlin were glaring at her. She just lowered her gaze and went outside. She ran a hand across her face and hair, sighing. If it weren't for him, she would've gone.

Without him, without his legitimacy, she was quite sure they would let her win anything anymore. Maybe it was just her complaining again. _Listen to Merlin._ He was entirely right. Maybe she was not entitled to win like Charlie or Roxy, but at least she would try. And she would do it by the rules. Use the rules, break the rules.

She was going to go back to the dorm when the door opened again behind her. It was Arthur, and he was apparently looking for her since he looked quite pleased to find her this easily. She crossed her arms on her chest. She had no idea why he would want to talk to her, but she didn't make a move, waiting for him to start the conversation.

"There you are. I was afraid maybe you would have already gone to your dormitory.

\- I'm not that obedient. Are you Arthur ?

\- I am," he answered, apparently surprised. "And you are Maxime. Galahad has been… Quite laudatory regarding you.

\- He probably exaggerated a few things.

\- Oh, yes, he probably did."

She kept quiet, a bit unsettled by his remark. She didn't know if it was sarcasm, dry humour or just an observation. Actually, she didn't know if he was pleasant or hypocritical. If he considered her an underestimated asset or an overestimated burden. But one thing was sure : he didn't like her. The way he was looking down on her, the way he was talking, exaggerating his posh accent. _Or maybe he just talk like a hung-up old guy._ It was coherent, though.

She shuffled around. She would've sent his packing if only she could've. But he was the big boss out there. If she wanted to stay on the running, she had no other choice but to shut her mouth and drop it.

"I've heard you've had… Rather surprising reactions during the tests. What you did with Charlie was reckless and unnecessarily rude," he said, his voice full of reproach… And scorn. "But I guess you just need to understand how it works here.

\- I'm already understanding how you all work. Hence, the reckless and unnecessarily rude reaction. Don't worry, his face's still undamaged.

\- I certainly hope so. That would be a shame for Harry to see his protégé sent away because she tried to kill one of her fellow recruits.

\- Wouldn't that be a shame too if the one who proposed Charlie knew that he's constantly trying to kill me, sir ?"

He froze. _Woopsie._ It was too much to bear, she wasn't exactly the kind of woman to let people walk all over her, especially when the said people were posh and snobbish English nobility. She could almost tell what he was thinking. That she was an unbearable little brat, if not worse. That no one had ever dared to talk to him like that. That Harry had been dreadfully careless to let her even get a foot inside the Kingsman headquarters. That he would never allowed such disgrace to happen.

Truth was she didn't care about any of this. He could well think about firing her, about killing her right away, but there was no way he could do it. He was tied by his own rules, and the rules were that she had to go through the tests. Now, at least, she knew he was probably the one who had proposed him. He wouldn't be reacting this overwhelmingly if it wasn't the case. _For secret agent, they're quite simple to read._ What a great novel for her Majesty's security. Or any head of state's, for that matter.

"May I leave ? Merlin ordered me to go back to the dormitory. I think I should comply.

\- You should probably, indeed." He smiled coldly. "As well as you should probably watch your mouth.

\- I've been taught to tell the truth, sir. Sometimes it's harder than convenient lies.

\- I reckon you know what it is, to say convenient lies. Go back to your dormitory, miss Muller."

She inclined her head and walked past him. She didn't stop until she managed to find the dorm and, then only, looked behind her. Angering the big boss. _Good shot, Max, you just found a way to be the next Lancelot._ Or not. Harry was probably better off in a coma, finally, than facing her and Arthur's attitudes.

When she understood that Harry would not wake up this easily, she threw herself in work, as Merlin had advised her to do. He may have looked sympathetic, even comprehensive, but at no point he showed any preference toward anyone. Of course, Charlie didn't stop being a stupid arse, but she dealt with it. More or less efficiently, but she didn't try to kill him. They all got a few days off to recover from the robot's test, and to prepare the next ones. They were mostly physical tests. She went through all of them, though they were tiring as hell. It was the goal actually ; to see who was able to support it without breaking. She was part of those who passed them all. The next one, however, didn't seem to easy.

It was a theoretical one, dealing with history, English, mathematics, pure logic and strategy. The others read, read and read an amount of books she had never seen before, while she just tried to remind herself of what she'd learnt in high-school. Of course, Roxy had tried to get her to work but, of course again, she hadn't complied. Instead, she watched the news, trying to catch up with what was happening outside the castle. In the real world.

And it was a mess, as usual, but something caught her attention. A millionaire was going to shower the world with his money, especially the poor. He was going to organize giant soup kitchen in order, according to him, _to pay his debt to the society_. Everywhere in newspapers and television, he was declaring to each and everyone that he felt guilty for his luck and that, as he was getting older, he felt the urge to assist the worse off people. And so he was.

When the night before the exam came, it felt like having finals again. She couldn't get to sleep, so she went out of the dorm and wandered in the corridors. She'd heard that most of the agents were on the field, so she wasn't scared of finding anyone. So she walked, unable to find some rest. She was worried. Not for the exam, in fact. She was worried for Harry. He wasn't showing any sign of waking. As if he was just endlessly sleeping.

She searched her pocket. She smiled when she felt a bobby pin. She had what it took to pick Harry's lock. She'd already done it before to see if anything had changed. Of course, it hadn't, but she wasn't going to sleep anyway, so… She found his door and picked it with caution. She closed the door behind her and came closer to the bed. He hadn't changed, except that his beard had excessively grown. He looked younger. She switched on the bedside lamp and sat next to him.

It felt weird, to be there. To be the only one there. To be the only one who cared about him. She'd wondered if he had a wife, the answer was now quite clear. He was alone. Looking at him, she reminded herself that she actually didn't know a thing about him. Except that, contrary to most people, he had trusted her. She bit her lips.

"I feel stupid," she softly said. "Being here, on my own. I'm worried for you, but I barely know who you are. Harry Hart, a Kingsman. You're not married, at it seems. You've never been married either, since your left ring finger doesn't look marked. You don't have children. You're rich, you've been to some uptight college when you were young. That's all I know for sure."

She stopped. It was not weird, it was stupid indeed. He couldn't hear him. And if he could, he would probably mock her. _Don't you dare wake up now, you old fellow._ She looked at her hands. They were bruised. More than ever. She knew her arms were almost bruised and cut. She was covered in slight wounds, bumps and bruises due to the tests and trainings. She had dark circles under her eyes from her lack of sleep. She didn't look any better than Harry, actually. She sighed.

"As for the rest… I don't know if you've been Kingsman for long. I don't know if you really appreciate tight-arse Arthur or if you just fake it because you don't really have the choice." She paused. "I don't know why you trusted a thief to be your protégé. I don't know what you saw in me that I still can't see. I don't know if I'll ever know, since you don't seem to wake up."

She sighed. As if the sound of her voice would be able to get him out of his coma. She didn't feel any lighter or better. She didn't really need to say it. It just felt natural. She wanted to know more about him, mainly because she hoped she would become his colleague. And somehow, she wanted him to know more about her than her bare file. _He's old, Max, you're not supposed to want him to know you any better._

Yes, but still. There was something. Something in him, something she recognized now that he looked younger. She didn't know if it was his loneliness or the way he was acting with her, but there was something and she wanted to know what this thing was.

"If Merlin catches me being here, he's going to be the death o'me. I count on you to take me out of this, when you're awake." She crossed her legs on the chair, smiling. It took her a moment to continue. "You better awake soon, by the way. I think you're the only one here who supports me. I mean, I know Merlin is not against me, he… Kinda told me the contrary, in fact. And Roxy's not mean either. I think Percival's rather neutral, though he obviously supports Roxy's claim. But when it comes to Arthur…"

She gulped. She wouldn't admit it publicly – thing she was actually doing, given the fact that she was probably filmed, but she was scared by what was going to happen if she was to win all the tests. If it was unquestionable. If the others… Well, fucked it up properly. If she would be accepted. If he would try to kill her. Or if he would find a way to evict her. She'd never been so fond of authority, when she could avoid it. Now she wasn't able to, it just looked even more frightening.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But what's the point of winning if he ruins it all ? God, look at me, I'm blabbering on my own. You're not going to answer and I should be sleeping for tomorrow's test. Forget it. I mean, you're not going to remember it but still, forget it. Just wake up. I don't know what kind of speech I'm supposed to write when I'm Lancelot. And I guess you're supposed to haze me. Anyway."

She looked around. She didn't want to go back to the dorm, where everyone was asleep. So she just switched the light off and crossed her arms on the bed, next to Harry's waist. She didn't touch him, she just put her head on his arms and closed her eyes. The regular beeps soothed her a weird way. She had slept countless of times with this beeping in the ear, waiting for her brother to wake up. Her heart tightened when she remembered again that he never woke up. Harry would wake up. He just needed time. She was done with losing people. Even those she didn't really know.

At usual when she was not tired enough to sleep, she couldn't help seeing again what had happened in her parents' house, almost six years before. She only had a limited memory of the whole event, but the blood, the three shots, the four dead bodies, she could still see them. Dreadfully precisely. She clenched her fist. It was over. Well and truly over. Her family was rotting in the ground and she was there, keeping vigil beside an old man. _He's not that old anyway._

She fell asleep without noticing. She slept without dreaming, heavily. It didn't feel good, but it didn't feel bad either. She only woke up because she felt a hand on her shoulder. Out of reflex, she tried to make the intruder hit the deck but he dodged her hold. She stood up and glared at him. And noticed his bald head. She sighed and relaxed. Of course he'd dodged her. She ran a hand across her face and suddenly felt stupid. She wasn't supposed to fall asleep by Harry's bedside. Still he didn't really seem surprised. Or not really. Just curious. She lowered her eyes and closed them. _Ridiculous, Max, ridiculous._

"Would you please tell me what you're doing here ?

\- I sleepwalk, sometimes.

\- And of course you walked outside the dormitory," he added. "And of course your feet led you to Galahad's room.

\- Funny, how fate works, isn't it ?"

She smiled, trying to get him to follow her. Thing that, of course, he didn't do. She brushed her hair thoughtfully and looked at the clock. She had something like two hours to prepare herself. It was earlier than she had gotten used to be woken up… _Wait._ She turned her eyes to Merlin. He hadn't woken up the rest of the recruits. She was the first one. _Oh god he has heard everything._ She bit her lips and crossed her arms on her chest. It was too late, anyway, and she knew someone would probably hear her. Better him than anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I couldn't get to sleep and I…

\- You're worried about a couple of things, I got it quite clearly.

\- I… Didn't really…

\- Don't worry, no one's watching. I'm the only one watching the screens." He paused. "You shouldn't be so scared. For Harry as well as for the rest.

\- That's easy for you to say with you little Oxford accent and your title."

He shook his head and put his file on the bed table. She scrutinized him. He was definitely younger than Harry. Younger than Percival too, and not only because he had no hair to be grey or white. Of course, she was as stern as usual. But being alone with him, seeing him a bit less rigid, it feels different. He almost looked like an actual human being.

And when he started staring at Harry, he looked like an actual human being. With feelings. With showing feelings. His eyes had turned slightly darker, gloomier. _Is he…_ Sad ? He seemed saddened by the whole situation. They were colleagues, probably friend. It was nothing but natural. _Still I can't believe he's expressing something._ She almost felt bad for him. He knew him far better than she did. And he was trying his best not to show it. As the perfect secret agent he was.

"Harry believes in you, Max. He really does, or else he wouldn't have chosen you to represent him in this tournament.

\- But why me ? You all seem to have chosen someone you knew, someone from your… Kind," she sighed. "If there anything I know for sure, it's that I'm not like this. I'm not like you, and I'm not like Roxy.

\- Obviously, you're not. But that's the point of you being here.

\- What do you mean ? Harry wanted to… Try out something with me ?"

She blinked, surprised. And grew even more surprised when she saw the beginning of a smile on Merlin's lips. She froze, startled. He crossed his arms on his chest and tilted his head. Wouldn't he be so cold and seemingly emotionless, he would've been a kinda handsome man. Well, he was handsome anyway, but he would be even more. _What's happening to me ? I'm starting to think old men are handsome._

"You don't understand, do you ?" he said. "You're not the first, let's say… Low-born candidate of his. You're his second one.

\- Where is the first one ?

\- He died during a mission, but that's not my point. Harry believes that our organization suffers from our unanimity. From our one and only point of view. He thinks we only have a future if we integrate external elements in the Kingsman agency.

\- And you agree with this opinion ?

\- I tend to." His eyes came back to Harry. "You gathered, I reckon, that it's not exactly the general statement."

She nodded, silently. So it was not about her, it was about her kind. Somehow, it tore her heart. She knew it, deep inside, but didn't want to face it. _Of course he didn't choose you because of your pretty face and your incredible skills._ Maybe it played in her favour, but it was not his main consideration. He saw she was not wealthy, not upper class, not nobility, and he saw an opportunity for everyone. For the Kingsman to better itself, for her to have a future, for him to have a protégé he apparently needed. She gulped and lowered her gaze. _Stupid silly goose,_ she scolded herself. _How could you think for a second that he would pick you because of yourself ?_

She smiled faintly and when she raised back her eyes, they were emotionless and straight. She'd been weak in front of her instructor, in front of her mentor, in front of the Kingsman as a whole and now she had to compose herself and move on. The only way she could live up to everyone's expectations, including hers. And stop caring about Harry and what he may feel about her. It was no longer about feelings but about assets. When and only when she's a Kingsman she would care about him as a person. _Right now, he is your superior and you just have to make him satisfied._ He was not a friend, not an ally. Not anything. _Maybe he's an almost something._ No, not even almost something. It was easier that way.

"I guess I should go back to the dorm," she said. "And get myself dressed for the test.

\- Max, wait a second.

\- I think I…

\- No, I told you to wait," Merlin ordered. She stopped. "I never said he only chose you because of your background. He knows plenty of lost souls, and you're not the worst one. We both know you're not from the lowest class, and we both know you aren't the less educated girl around. If it were only about having a skint protégé, you wouldn't be the first choice.

\- And I thought you didn't feel anything about anyone. Do you have a tender spot for outsider ?

\- Don't push it, Maxime. You're still on the rush and I'm still your supervisor."

She laughed lightly and left the room with a final gaze to Harry. _Your buddy is cool, old mate._ She came back to the dorm, got herself prepared, and headed to the classroom, smiling but still wondering why her. _I'll have to ask him._ But for now, she had to pass the test.


	6. VI

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **VI**

The test was not actually hard, it was just boring as hell. She more or less passed it, or rather, she believed she had since she'd not been sacked. The day after, as she was going back from the shower, she found Roxy on the couch, reading some old book. She sat next to her and looked around. They were alone, the boys were apparently doing some running in the park. She put down her book and smiled.

"How are you, Max ? It's been a while since the last time we got to really talk.

\- I'm alright, I guess. Tired, but well, aren't we all ?" She nodded. "And you ? You did really well lately. You sure look like a serious rival.

\- So do you. I mean, everyone takes you lightly but I don't.

\- Let them. They aren't expecting me, I can only surprise them."

They laughed. Roxy was a pretty girl, and not only by her looks. She was quite, but the deadly kind of quiet. During the shooting test, she was the most efficient, the most precise. Maxime, on the other hand, was not bad… But not so good. She only applied what her brother and parents had showed her back when she was a child. So it was a bit approximate. It did the job, but it was not as tidy as Roxy's shootings.

She was not the friendly kind, so she never had so many friends, girls or boys. Lately, she only kept close those who could be useful at any point. Then leaved them when they got over-attached or troublesome. Or when she had to go. Younger, she had her brother and it was enough. Her parents always taught her that people were deceitful, dangerous, that she had to keep alert. Having Roxy so close, talking to her like two average young girls, it was new. And pleasant. She couldn't tell if she trusted her or not, but she was good company anyway.

"And…" She looked hesitant for a second. "What about Galahad ? Do you have any news ?

\- None whatsoever. I think Merlin doesn't me to know too much. I could, y'know, lose it.

\- Merlin's not a bad guy. And I really think he appreciates you.

\- You kiddin' me, right ? He adores you. I mean, as much as he can adore someone.

\- What ?"

Roxy seemed confused, to say the least. Max burst out laughing and shook her head. Maybe she was overstating the situation, but Merlin seemed to consider her as the perfect new candidate. She wouldn't blame him ; she was talented, obedient, quick-minded _. And, if that wasn't enough, pretty as a picture._ Prettier than she was, surely, even though she was quite content with her looks. She was more of a… Traditional English beauty. She was bonier, skinnier, darker in her features. Their supervisor seemed to be more into the traditional thing than the dark one. _And I'm not interested anyway._

"Yeah, seriously. I mean, he almost smiles when you answer his questions correctly.

\- He _also_ almost smiles when you do," she retorted, visibly embarrassed. "Don't over interpret, he just thinks we're better than the other morons.

\- I'm not over interpreting, I'm just saying what I see. And he only always smiles when I'm sassing around. I'm amusing him. You, on the other hand…

\- Stop it !" She threw a cushion to a still laughing Maxime. "He's twice our age !

\- See ? You're already imagining yourself with our favourite baldhead !

\- I'm sorry to interrupt your… Fascinating conversation, ladies, but may I have a word with you, Max ? Privately ?"

They both froze. Merlin, _why of course,_ was at the door, his eternal file in hand. She gulped and exchanged an awkward gaze with Roxy and stood up. She was going as red as a beetroot, poor girl. She went outside and waited for him to speak. And he didn't. For a long time. The longest time ever actually. He was just staring at her, maybe trying to trigger apologizes or some blushing. She just waited. Patiently. _Not so much, though._ She was curious, and vaguely worried. He finally decided to talk after a sigh and gestured her to walk with him. So she did.

"I didn't follow the whole conversation, should I be worried that you were talking about a baldhead and that Roxy was on the verge of fainting ?

\- Nah, girl's business, nothing serious," she answered, trying to hide her smile. "Anyway, why did you want to see me ? What did I do wrong again ?

\- Nothing, for once. Galahad's awake, and he wants to see you.

\- He's… He's awake ? For real ?"

He nodded and led her to his room. She knew the path, of course, but she let him. Hiding her smile was even more complicated, but he didn't seem to notice. Or, at least, he didn't say anything about it. He disappeared when she'd reached the door. _Thanks, old man._ She took a deep breath, weirdly nervous and pushed the door.

He was standing in front of the mirror, in an awful dressing own, shaving himself. Somehow, it was a reassuring view, to see him shaven, his hair cut, similar to what he was when she'd met him. He spotted her in the mirror and went on with his shaving.

"Ever heard of knocking ?

\- Only when I'm casing a place to rob," she answered, trying to sound as relaxed as possible. "Merlin said you wanted to see me.

\- I heard about your training, from several viewpoints. It was… Interesting.

\- In a positive way ?

\- It depended on the viewpoint."

He turned toward her, stone-faced. She almost felt her heart melt. Watching him on his feet, phlegmatic as ever, it was like going home. Even if the said home was a brand new one, even if she didn't know half of its rooms. It just felt good. He buried his hands in his pockets and finally smiled. _I waited weeks for this._ An awakening.

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. He was scrutinizing her, trying to find every little details that had changed in her. And there were plenty, from her plaid suit to her better shape. Merlin ensured she was eating sufficiently, and that meant more than her fellows. He said she was "skinnier than a stray dog". _A charming man indeed._ Harry showed her the screen in front of the bed where six pictures where displayed. Including hers.

"Congratulations on making it to the final six candidates, Max," he said. "Your results were even better than I could've hoped.

\- Well, apparently I'm quite suited for your tight-ass organization.

\- I never doubted it, though you've had… Funny reactions. Mainly with Charlie.

\- Please, spare me the sermon, sweet Arthur already took care of it," she mumbled. "He's a jerk, y'know ?

\- I watched your recordings, of course I know he's a jerk. But I didn't know about Arthur, though. He didn't tell me he talked to you.

\- Oh, he would probably just tell you I'm unnecessarily rude and maladjusted to your world."

She laughed, but he didn't. His smiled had disappeared as soon as she'd mentioned Arthur. She gulped. _I shouldn't have said that._ He was his boss. He was _the_ boss. And he she was, putting him in an awkward situation, trying to turn him against his boss. She bit her lips. Now she deserved the sermon. Weirdly enough, she almost wanted him to lecture her. Anything but the way he was looking at her, both surprised and worried.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I shouldn't have said that.

\- You're changing, Max. It's a good thing. But you don't have to apologize for this, it's better that I know about… This.

\- What's the matter ? Is there anything wrong ?

\- Nothing, it's just…" They turned toward the door. There had been a knocking. "Come in."

Merlin came in, a bigger file under the arm. He looked straight at her and came close to Harry, making her back up. She frowned. There was something, something bigger than just the usual defiance toward her. But Harry didn't continue, he looked at Merlin as if he was some kind of a saviour. _Your saviour, lucky bastard._ He would not wriggle out of it so easily.

"Max, I need to have a private conversation," he said without even looking at her. "You're dismissed.

\- Nonsense. Let her observe. Might learn a thing or two.

\- As you wish. Take a look at this."

He looked at his file and taped on it. _Oh. It's a tablet._ She looked at the screen and watched the video that had replaced the photographs of the candidates. It was taken from an internal point of view, probably from the glasses of Harry since the voice she could hear was his. He was maintaining some old guy by the shoulder while the guy was screaming at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason. Then the screen went red, white, black. An explosion. His explosion. _Oh my fucking bloody god._ She grimaced.

"Fucking hell !" she spat out. The two men were just looking at the screen, untouched by the scene. "That is rank, Harry ! You blew of his head ?! It's a bit much, no ?

\- Actually, the explosion was caused by a time bomb here, under the scar on his neck.

\- Did my hardware pick up the signal that triggered it ?

\- Fortunately, yes. Unfortunately, the IP address I traced it to is registered to the Carter's Corporation.

\- That's not much of a lead," Harry sighed when his photograph appeared on the screen. "He was millions of employees worldwide.

\- Well, that Richard Carter is a genius anyway."

She nodded, then stopped when she saw their heads turned in her direction. _What did I say. Again._ Confused, she tried to remember her words. Nothing wrong, apparently. He had made an announcement, early in the morning, saying that the desire he had to organize huge kitchen soups everywhere throughout the world was going to be a reality. He was studying the opportunity to test it in a rather small town, in the United States.

But apparently they didn't know about it. She rolled her eyes and took Merlin's tablet to tap on it. It had the Internet, happily, so she just searched for the recording of his announcement and showed it to them. She'd already seen it, so she just waited for them to analyse it like the secret agents they were. _I'm a man of his words, and I have the great pleasure to announce that every people will now have access to food, pure water and everything necessary to his subsistence. My team and I are currently preparing the pilot test here, in the United States. Get ready !_ She smiled. It was great idea. Weird. But great. He was disappearing from the stage when Merlin took back his tablet, mildly annoyed, then saw it passing to Harry's hands who zoomed on Carter's assistant. She had the same scar.

"She has the same scar," he said, now deadly serious. "I think Mr Carter and I should have a tête-à-tête.

\- Let me see…" Merlin, _again_ , took back his tablet. "He's having a gala dinner next week. I'll get you an invitation, but you need to be careful. Since you've been out, hundreds of VIPs have gone missing. No ransom notes, exactly like Professor Arnold.

\- Then I suggest you make my alias somebody worth kidnapping, my friend."

They nodded, and Merlin stormed out of the room. She blinked and tried to understand what had been going on. She looked at Harry, who was watching the screen. _Wait, he's not going to go back on the field right now, is he ?_ Of course he was. Why of course he was. He shushed her remark and brushed her hair thoughtfully. Something was going on. She knew Prof Arnold by reputation, he was some famous microbiologist working on viruses and bacteria. The kind of guy you'd do better to have on your side than against you, since he could kill you in an instant with his researches. The idea of him being involved in a kitchen soup was not exactly comforting.

"You're sure it's a good idea to go and provoke him ? I mean, he must've known about what happened to you, if he's involved.

\- I appreciate your concern, Max," he answered, straight-faced. "But you're not yet in the position to question my decisions.

\- I… I didn't…

\- No, you didn't." He turned toward her. "For now, content yourself with passing the test. I'm sure you know you have to do twice as good as the other to be considered their equal.

\- I do, yes. I just… Don't want you to be wounded again, that's all."

He went quiet and nodded lightly, smiling. She felt stupid, being this straightforward, but she'd been worried indeed. And so much. She was not going to be this worried again, not for some old pal. _He's not just an old pal, he's mine old pal._ She rejected the idea. He was nothing for her, she was nothing for him. Except, maybe, a burden or a potential asset. And he was just his mentor.

He put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her dead in the eyes. She remembered her father doing the same with her, the day she'd gotten her baccalauréat. Of course, he congratulated her. But he also reminded her there was a long road ahead, that she was able to do it but she needed to be hard-working. She straightened herself and maintained his stare.

"Merlin told me you've been unusually worried for me.

\- Why of course he told you," she grumbled. "And now I just want to bury myself.

\- He didn't tell me much. He just said you stayed here a whole night. That you've been talking. I'm afraid I can't remember anything, unfortunately.

\- I'm not going to believe he didn't tell you what I said.

\- You should. He only told me about your concern regarding my state." He paused. "And he told me you felt out of place."

She breathed out and shook her head. She didn't want to have that conversation with him, even if Merlin hadn't indeed tell him anything embarrassing. It was awkward. She felt awkward. Stupid. _He can't know._ She only said all these things because he was asleep. She accepted the fact that Merlin could hear her only because she was sure he would not comment. But Harry was directly involved in her worry. He was partly responsible. And she didn't want him to see her this weak.

He pressed her shoulder lightly. _He knows. Merde._ She was an open-book, with him, because something in him felt like home. Something in his attitude, in the way he behaved, gave her this warm feeling that you usually feel when you go back home after a long trip. And it was as comforting as it was scary, because she couldn't hide her thoughts, her feeling with him. And it made no sense. She'd never met him before, as far as she could remember, and he was not her parents. _Thanks god. I would feel guilty to find him almost attract—What the hell am I thinking._

"You should not.

\- Hell I should," she sighed. "Everything, everyone want me to feel out of place.

\- And since when do you care about what others want ?

\- Since these others have the power to make or break my future.

\- Arthur doesn't have a say," he softly said. "Not more than I or Galahad. If you go through the tests, you'll be a Kingsman. Perhaps the better since a great length of time.

\- Is that what you said to the last poor guy you proposed ?"

She saw his eyes darkening. Again. _What is happening ?_ Arthur, then this unknown man. Was there some dark secret in the agency she was not supposed to know ? She frowned. This time, she was not going to let him get away with it. Merlin was not going to break into the room, they were both alone. She wanted to know about this man, this first attempt to bring new blood in the Kingsman.

He released her and ran a hand across his face. If he knew what she felt, he surely knew she was not going to let it go. He seemed to wonder how to present things for a couple of seconds and sighed.

"So Merlin told you. He was… Quite similar to you, but he was from a lower-background," he explained. "But you had… Almost the same reactions. Those that are induced by experience, altruism and realism.

\- He said he died during a mission. What happened ?

\- The said mission took a disastrous turn and he died. I can't say much, I wasn't involved." He frowned too. "You're not an experiment, Max.

\- Merlin said that too. I don't know if I can trust him. He wants me to go through the missions, oddly.

\- Merlin likes hotheads. It reminds him of his youth."

He smiled. She raised an eyebrow. She would've never seen Merlin as a risk-taker, even younger. And it had nothing to do with his lack of hair. His general attitude was so English he almost exhaled tea, and it was not really an English thing to be careless and rash.

Harry walked toward the mirror and gestured her to come. She did. The mirror reflected their faces, his rested, clean, hers tired. His grayish brown hair a bit too long, her blond hair still a bit too short. _There's something in his face…_ She wouldn't be so trusting with a complete stranger. She must've seen him somewhere, anywhere. Or maybe her imagination was completely blowing a fuse. _Possible._

"I'm not going to pamper you, Max, because you don't need to be pampered. All this worry, for me, for you, for the tests, it makes no sense.

\- I know. But there's something, something in you, in Merlin." She gritted her teeth. "Have we ever met, Harry ?

\- Why would you think we've met ?

\- I wouldn't be so scared for someone I've only met months ago. You're right, it makes no sense. I want to understand why I'm so… So…

\- I got you out of the hell you were in, Maxime. I offered you a possible future. You only try to repay me."

She gazed at her reflection. Was it just that ? Gratefulness ? Was she just mishandling it ? _I've never been grateful. Maybe that's just what it feels like to owe something to someone._ She tried to recognize something in her features, something that would help her. But he was right, she'd changed. She was different, she felt different. She looked different. There was more of the child she used to be in this reflection, and less of the lost girl she was months ago, when she tried to rob the Kingsman tailor shop. She smiled at the memory. It looked so distant. So afar off.

"Except that you have nothing to repay me. Everything you did, in the command room, in the forest, with your sniper, it was you, not me. I tossed a coin with you because I saw something. And _you_ made it real. At this point, I have nothing to do with your success.

\- I know you're right. It's irrational.

\- Life is not always rational." He smiled to her in the mirror. "Stop doubting. You're Kingsman material, but the race isn't nearly over.

\- You'll hate yourself when I'm Lancelot for all those advices. I'm going to be the death o'you.

\- I'm looking forward to that day."

She nodded and turned toward him. There was still this shadow in his eyes, this little something that looked alarmed and vigilant. _He's not telling me the whole truth._ But she knew where the limit was, and he wouldn't step over it. She wouldn't have it now.

She stayed there, motionless, trying to know what she was supposed to do. She wanted to stay with him, to talk a little bit more. But she had to go back in the dorm. And he had to prepare himself for his mission. The silent lingered for a long, long time, before he cut by clearing his throat and showing the door.

"You should probably get some rest for tomorrow's test, and I should probably go and see what Merlin has for me.

\- Oh, yes, yes, of course," she stammered. "Thank you, Harry.

\- I'm your mentor, it's only natural.

\- No, I mean. For being awake."

She laughed and passed the door. She could've staked her life on him bursting into laughter as soon as it shut. She brushed her hair and went back in the dorm. The boys were back, so she just blinked at Roxy. She understood and nodded, apparently genuinely happy for her. _Well, it was a good day._


	7. VII

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **VII**

She never ceased to be amazed by the Kingsman's complex. Early in the afternoon, Merlin had come to take them down a dozen of staircases, right to what looked like a cistern full of… Well, water. They got equipped with diving stuff, oxygen tanks, mask, wetsuit, pressure regulators. She thought they would breath with it, but Merlin gave them huge snorkels and ordered them to use them in a first phase. She looked at Roxy. She shrugged and obeyed. They plunged and, slowly, sunk into the huge cistern. She tried to calculate how deep it was, but she lost track when everything went dark around them. _A good thing I'm not claustrophobic. Or aquaphobe. Or easily panicked._ When they touched the bottom, light came out of their masks and Merlin began to talk in their ears.

"I hope you all like water, you're going to be immerged for some times. Everything is all right ?

\- Well, as all right as it can be when you're sunken below meters of water," she grumbled. "At least the water's not cold.

\- Glad you appreciate it. Now, let's be a little more serious and talk about the test itself. As Max cleverly said, you're in a water tank. There are more or less thirty meters of water above your heads, with doors each ten meters. These doors will close themselves gradually. Your mission is, of course, to reach the surface. You can inflate your wetsuit in order to do so but be warned, there will be detectors there and they will spot you if you're too fast. If you're detected at any times, you lose. If you drown, well, you lose too."

She rolled her eyes. Why of course, they wouldn't just splash around. But there was something else. It was way too easy, if it was just about surviving tons of water and closing doors. It was not Kingsman-worthy. So she waited. Impatiently.

But Merlin didn't say anything. Around her, they were laughing, swimming with no apparent worry. She gulped and followed them. She went close to Roxy who was incredibly calm. She was the only one who didn't trust Merlin. _Good. If I can be the only one to survive, that would be neat._ But of course, Merlin came back after his theatrical pause. _To hell with your suspense !_

"My, my you're all very cheerful. Did you really think it was going to be that straightforward ?" She could almost see his sarcastic smile. _Asshole._ "Any idiot can swim his way out of a cistern. A Kingsman agent needs to be able to solve problems under pressure, pun intended.

\- That was crap.

\- I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, let's see how you solve problems when one of your groups has no oxygen in his tanks.

\- What ?" Charlie screamed. "No oxygen ?!

\- Shit, who ?! Which one ? What do we do ?

\- I told you. Aim for the surface. Come in without being detected, and I hope not to have to retrieve one of you cut in half. But if I do have to, and one half is at the surface without having being detected… Please, know I'll be very impressed. The snorkels will work for two minutes, and then… Well, we'll see."

 _I hate you._ She cursed and turned toward the others. Now they were panicking. _Neat. Really neat._ She needed a plan. Anything. But something that would work. Their wetsuits had sort of balloons that could be inflated, that's what he said. Maybe it could be used to get two people out of this god-forsaken tank, given that everybody followed the rules. She gulped and urged herself to simmer down. She needed to be as calm as possible.

The others were trying to rush toward the surface, but they were just tiring themselves. She looked up. The door was still open. But it was a matter of minutes before it began to close. _Okay. I can do it. I can._

"Listen, I have a plan ! Everybody pair off, grab the closest to you, and try your oxygen. If it doesn't work, the other one inflates his wetsuit and both of you will go up.

\- And if it doesn't work ?! How will the fucked one will breath ?!

\- You have a better plan ?!" she screamed toward Charlie. "Pair off !"

She felt Roxy holding her wrists. She nodded. The snorkels would soon stop working, they needed to be quick. She was going to activate her pressure regulator when she felt something moving. _Putain la porte._ She held Roxy's hands tighter, but near them, James was panicking. He pushed his partner and inflated his suit. He immediately went up.

"James, you wanker ! Shit, we're an odd number now !

\- Quick make a circle !" Roxy cried out. They did. "Let's do it, we activate our pressure regulators one by one,

\- When we know which one doesn't work… The person on their right grabs them and inflate his suit !

\- Good plan, girls," Merlin said. "You have thirty seconds before the snorkels stops working and approximately the same amount of time before the first door closes."

 _Thirty fucking seconds. We're fucked._ Charlie tried the first. It worked, so he inflated his suit and disappeared. Then it was another's boy turn. When the last one managed to breath, she felt her heart tightening. So it was either her or Roxy. _It's me._ Of course it was her. Merlin and Harry could say whatever they wanted, it was her. She was the black sheep. Roxy was the golden girl, and she couldn't blame her.

She took her hands back and looked at her dead in the eyes. The door was almost closed. The snorkels were bubbling. _Bordel de…_

"Roxy, no matter what happens now, we're in this together now. Right ?

\- Okay Max. How do we do ?

\- Yours. I'm taking my breath."

She grabbed her tightly and took the deepest breath she could. And they went up. But it was slow, so slow. Soon, the snorkels stopped working. She released it and looked up. _Oh god, the door…_ She felt it on her feet, almost closing on her. _I'm not going to survive this if I don't breath._

"Max, you'll need oxygen," she heard Merlin say in her ears. "Find a way.

\- Take my pressure regulator, breath a bit. Inflate your suit !"

Roxy pulled out the regulator and gave it to her. She breathed and inflated her wetsuit. They went faster, she could almost see the boys, the next door… Closing. _Oh for God's sake !_ She tried to swim faster but it was impossible. She was hindered by her blown up suit. She exchanged a gaze with Roxy. It was getting worse and worse. She had no idea how it could get any worse but she was sure there was a way.

"The door is closing, go faster !"

Would have she had oxygen to waste, she would've send him packing. But she didn't. And she was concentrated on the _motherfucking_ closing door. When they managed to reach it, it was barely enough opened for them to pass. She sighed in relief… Then almost released Roxy.

She was stuck, the door had closed on her fin. _Worse._ She took the pressure regulator, breathed, and gave her back to swim toward the door. It was nearly impossible, her suit was dragging her to the surface. She tried to pull the fin, to snatch it, but it didn't move.

"Max, what do we do ?! The door, above, it's… Closing !

\- Girls, you don't have the time to think, act !" Merlin sounded worried. Genuinely worried. "Hurry !"

 _WILL YOU SHUT UP ?!_ The fin was inside the suit, she could maybe tear the suit… But it would deflate it. But she wasn't going to let Roxy die here. It was not even a possibility. Not even a thought. _No innocent has to die._ She managed to tear a hole in the suit and released her feet from the flipper. Water filled her suit. It was heavier that it used to be, but she grabbed her waist. Above them, the door was indeed closing.

She took the regulator and breathed heavily. She was seeing little stars, she lacked oxygen. But she couldn't keep the regulator for long, Roxy was panicking and she needed it. She put it back and ordered her to swim. It was a matter of meters, they could do it. They had to do it. In her ears, she heard Merlin swearing, something falling and shattering. _A cup of tea ?_ She would've laughed if she'd been able to.

"Leave me ! Release me, Max, I'm slowing you down !

\- We're in this together, you remember ?!" She clenched her nails in her wet suit and looked at her dead in the eyes. "No innocent has to die. We're…"

She stopped, breathless. She looked at the regulator. Roxy was still panicking. _I need…_ No, she didn't. Not as much as her. She closed her eyes and went on swimming. She could hear the door closing. The gears turning. _My heart stopping._ She looked at it. _Not enough space. We won't pass._

She bit her lips and threw Roxy above, in the slit still visible. She passed. _No innocent has to die._ She tried to follow her but it was closing. It was getting too small. _No, I'm not dying here !_ In her ears, it was dead silent. Everyone was holding their breath. She put her arm in the crack. _I won't need it if I'm dead._ She bit her lips. It couldn't end this way.

A hand grabbed hers and pulled her. The door had stopped, something was blocking it. And it was Roxy oxygen tank. They swam, but her vision was getting darker and darker. _They want me to stop breathing, I guess._ She was weakening, without Roxy, she wouldn't have been able to reach the surface.

And when she did, it was Roxy who threw her mask away. She inhaled and coughed, clinging at the rim of the cistern. At this point, she didn't care about having being detected. She just was glad to be alive. And furious that Merlin would choose her over the others to be the fucked one. She got herself out of the tank and sit on the floor, unable to stand up. She put her head in her hands and tried to compose herself. It was hard. Nearly impossible.

"James, Hugo, August, you didn't deflate your suits, you were all over the radar," Merlin said with a stern voice. "All three of you, pack your bags, go home."

He paused while the boys left the room. She raised her eyes and meet their. He didn't seem touched by what happened. He just looked… Surprised. Maybe impressed. She couldn't tell. She turned toward Roxy. She was trying to catch back her breath, eyes lost in the void. Charlie was proudly standing on his feet, smiling, almost dry. _Connard._ She couldn't think in English. Her mind was completely broken, she needed some times before being able to even talk.

"Max, Roxy, congratulations. You set a new record, passing the door in the last seconds, that's pretty ballsy.

\- Not like we had much of the choice," she grumbled, with a furred voice. "It was either that or death.

\- Anyway. Well done for completing another task. Fall out."

She let the assistants stripping her, and stood up only when she found herself only wearing a swimsuit. She came near to Roxy, apparently calm. She smiled faintly and nodded. _We did it. Together._ She couldn't believe she was alive. She had won. They had won. Against all odds. _And all physical rules._ She hugged her and leaned her head on her shoulder. _Is that what friends do when they save each other's life ?_

"Thank you, Max," she whispered. "You could've have gone but you stayed. And you helped me.

\- Well, thank you too. You saved my life.

\- I hate being indebted, now we're even, aren't we ?

\- Yes," she said, smiling. She stepped back. "Now I have a few words to say to our dear baldhead.

\- Max, you shouldn't…"

She shook her head and walked toward Merlin. He was tapping on his tablet, probably writing some comments. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. She waited for everyone else to go out of the room and clenched her fists. It feels familiar. It reminded her of the forest test. Maybe she hadn't understood it quite well, but apparently she was still the expendable candidate. He frowned and packed his tablet.

"Before you go mad and ask me _again_ why you, the so-called poor girl that no one loves, have to be the gimp, try your pressure regulator.

\- Why would I try it ? It won't work.

\- Try."

She took the said pressure regulator and, while glaring at him, tried it. And it worked. She froze. Tried again. It worked again. _It can't be…_ How could've she be so stupid ? She threw the regulator and gritted her teeth. She'd been ridiculous. She'd put herself in danger, she'd put Roxy in danger for… Nothing ? _They couldn't have…_ Yes they had.

She didn't make a move for a couple of seconds. She knew Merlin was watching, probably mocking her internally. _Maybe even not so internally._ She closed her eyes and turned toward him slowly. She couldn't even blame him, it was the game. Playing with their weakness, their insecurities. If she hadn't been the last one to test her oxygen tanks, if she hadn't so convinced since the very beginning that she would be the "chosen one", none of this would've happened.

"If you hadn't helped Roxy like you did, and if you hadn't had the idea to pair off everyone, you would have been evicted. For your lack of confidence that borders on foolishness.

\- I know.

\- We've already had this conversation, Max," he said, looking at his tablet. "And I thought I was clear. Plus, I reckon Galahad also discoursed on the idea.

\- I know that too.

\- Then why are we still talking ? Go take a shower.

\- I don't wanna see any more water, thank you.

\- It's all for the best, then. Tonight you're partying and I don't think there will be much water. Fall out."

She lowered her head and headed to the dorm. She felt ashamed. Embarrassed. Awkward. Stupid. For herself, because she'd looked like a damn fool, but mainly for Roxy. If she hadn't been such a self-appointed victim, she would've tried her regulator anyway and they wouldn't have risked their lives.

It took her a while before really figuring out what Merlin meant by partying. She thought maybe it was some other test, or an exaggeration for a single day without risking her life, but he was just being literal : they were just supposed to attend a party. Apparently, it was a way for the agency to congratulate her. _I would rather have a bottle of Sprite and a lie in, but… Thanks. I guess._

When she went back from her shower – taken under Roxy's duress, she found several dresses spread on her bed, all of them still packed. She recognized the brands and it took her a minute before she dared to touch them. One of them could've afforded her a month's rent. If not more. She brushed the fabric and smiled faintly. She used to wear dresses like this, an eternity ago. When she was a child, when her parents were still alive, they would be present at every each party. They were fancy, but children were free to play video games as soon as the formal and stupid presentations were over. Her brother didn't have that chance, though.

 _So, which one am I picking…_ She remembered what her mother used to say, about dresses. 'A woman has to know how to dress,' she'd told her plenty of times. 'Be too formal and they will think you're hung-up. Be too conspicuous and they will whisper how gaudy you are.'. She was trying to imagine what she would've thought about clubbing when she saw a little card falling from the dress she was admiring. She frowned and took it.

 _Since you came here with nothing but you backpack and insolence, I chose some outfits thanks to the clothes you left in my bathroom. Since Kingsmen were originally tailors, it would be a shame if they didn't suit you, but I'm sure they do._

 _We'll see each other soon, enjoy the party._

 _Galahad._

 _You stalker._ She raised an eyebrow and finally unpacked a black dress, long but flowing. When she tried it, she internally applauded Harry's sharp eye. It was perfect, and she was sure it wasn't thanks to the so-called clothes she'd forgotten in his bathroom. Her shape had changed, and the clothes were adjusted. _He just scrutinized me to the point that he guessed my measurements._ Wouldn't have he been Harry that she would've found the idea both creepy and flattering. Since it was him, it was still flattering… And a little bit less creepy. _I'm the creepy one, trying to figure out how he would've found my bra cup size._

She got herself ready in almost no time ; there was nothing she could do with her except maybe straightening it, and she wasn't so fond of make-up. But still she was the last one, when she joined her two fellows. Charlie was wearing some perfectly ordinary suit, except that it probable had cost more than some African country's GDP. Roxy, on the other hand, looked absolutely astonishing in her deep red dress. The way Merlin was more or less discreetly eyeballing her was pretty tell-tale of her beauty. _I can't compete, I'm afraid._

"Wow, Maxime, you almost look like a decent girl," Charlie mocked. "I can almost see why Galahad chose you, and I must admit, you have arguments.

\- So sad you don't have any, I would've been so proud to be your deflowerer.

\- Time out," Merlin ordered, severe. "Keep this little joust of yours for your party, will you ?

\- Why of course I'm going to waste a party talking to her…

\- Charlie, are you ever going to shut up ?" Roxy faced him, apparently pissed-off. "You're such a prick, that's unbearable !

\- You just say that because you want that…

\- For Heaven's sake, shut up !"

They all went quiet. She'd never heard Merlin raising his voice, and now she understood why. It was almost scary. She exchanged a smile with Roxy and waited for the orders. Which never came, since it was not a mission. He cleared his throat when he decided it was enough and deeply sighed.

"Better. Now, if I'm going to have some time to speak, I have some instructions to give you.

\- We're supposed to party and still we have instructions ?" She rolled her eyes. "How lame.

\- We still have plenty of tests, if you think we're too "lame".

\- Can we please get down to business ?

\- I think I'm dreaming," Merlin said, utterly jaded. "Anyway. You don't say anything about the Kingsman agency. You don't say anything about yourself. Understood ?

\- Yeah, first rule of Kingsman club, don't talk about the Kingsman club."

 _One more joke and he's going to literally explode._ She hid her smile and followed the group when they all headed to the car that was supposed to drive them to the party. She wasn't into parties and stuff like that, usually she only attended them because she was sometimes selling drugs. And no one like drugs more than rich heirs and their princess girlfriends, she could tell.

Being on the other side of the curtain felt weird, and oddly familiar. It was not really unpleasant but it was certainly not pleasant. All those habits she immediately recovered reminded her of the part of her past she thought she had forgotten. No one saw her distress, and she mimicked Roxy when she didn't know what to say, what to do.

This situation lasted a few minutes, and then it just felt like being with a friend and clubbing like a normal girl. The only difference between them and the other normal girl was that they were worn out. They only danced a bit before collapsing on a couch, exhausted.

They were laughing and singing when two champagne glasses came, apparently offered by a secret admirer that wanted to stay anonymous. At fist, it sounded funny. But then she remembered who they were, what they were doing with their lives. She took the glass, and looked around. No one looked particularly suspicious. _Oh fuck it, I'm becoming as boring as Merlin._ She was going to taste the alcohol when she got stopped by Roxy.

"Wait, I don't know if we're supposed to drink things like this.

\- You mean, drink champagne ?" She smiled. "We're not getting drunk.

\- I'm not talking about getting drunk. We don't know who paid the glasses, maybe they're drugged.

\- And of course you're the voice of reason," she sighed. "You're right. Let's be independent strong women who pay for their booze."

Roxy laughed and called the waiter. Maxime put down her glass regretfully and leaned her head on her hand. People were dancing, laughing, kissing, making-out in a corner. _I've already changed._ In another time, she would've gone through coats and purses to find some money, some cell phones. In another life, and it didn't feel like hers. _Maybe I'm just back to what I used to be._

She was going to ask Roxy if she wanted to go back to the dance-floor when she saw a waiter talking to a man in suit. _Wait, it's… Percival ?_ She frowned. He spotted her. _Oh shit, I was not supposed to see him._ He nodded and disappeared in the dark. Or maybe it's the dark that ate him. Or maybe she was the one who fell into the dark.

"Roxy, what's…

\- Poison dart," she heard from afar. "Sleep tight, princesses."

 _Merlin's going to kill us._


	8. VIII

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **VIII**

She woke up only to find herself tied. _Oh super. Génial.*_ She tested the ties. They were strong, no way to break them. When she opened her eyes, she almost wondered if she'd really opened them. It was pitch black around. And cold as ice under the wrists and ankles. And dead silent.

When the light came, she blinked, blinded. _Did I say I hate posh parties ? Always go wrong._ She looked around. No Roxy. No Charlie. Only her, tied to something that looked like rails. _Rails._ She almost started to laugh. It couldn't be this cliché. She couldn't be tied to rails, close to an oncoming train that couldn't possibly avoid her. She heard footsteps near her. A man, according to the sound of his soles.

"Where am I ? Who the fuck are you ?

\- This knife," he said, shaking what looked like a Stanley knife. "Can save your life.

\- Save my… What ? Then give it to me !

\- That's not how the game's played, milady."

He smiled. She couldn't tell who he was, for she'd never seen him before, but he was old. And creepy. The creepy kind of old people. She struggled against her ties. Useless. She sighed. And then felt the rails vibrating. _Oh fuck no._ She felt her heart jumping in her chest. _Holy shit, fire, bullets, water and now a motherfucking train ?!_ They couldn't be serious.

"My employer's got two questions for you, Maxime. First, what the fuck is Kingsman, and second, who's Harry Hart ?

\- I don't know what the fuck that is !

\- Maxime," he sighed, apparently disappointed. The train was getting closer, she could hear it. "I just killed two of your friends who gave me the same bullshit answer."

 _Oh my fucking god, I can't do this._ She was going to die for them ? Dying for herself was alright, she'd chosen it. Dying for Roxy when she'd promised she would help us was alright too. But dying because of the Kingsman Agency ! She closed her eyes, her blood pounding at her temples, she could feel the rails vibrating more and more.

 _No I can't do this._ Harry had trusted her, enough to command dresses at her size even before he was sure she would be able to go to the party. _Oh._ It was but a detail, but it was meaningful. He most probably had ordered those dresses even before his coma, for them to be ready on time, ensuring one or two days before the party that they would be adapted to her actual body shape. Which meant that he never doubted her. _No, I can't._ She felt tears flowing on her cheeks when she opened her eyes. He was still glaring at her. The train's headlights were blinding her.

"Fuck, oh shit, give me the fucking knife !

\- Maxime," he screamed above the shrieking of the train. "Is Kingsman worth dying for ?

\- No, it's not, you're right !

\- Then ?

\- Then…" She paused and looked at the train. _There's no way it's going to stop._ "Screw you !"

She closed her eyes again and yelled at the top of her lungs when she heard the train passing over her. _IshouldatoldhimIdon'twanna… Wait._ She stopped and waited. No pain. No blood. No disembowelment. No torn limbs. Suddenly, what felt like a mechanism activated and she moved. Up. _Did I ever move down ?_

When she opened her eyes, the old creepy man was no longer there. There was only a man, early fifties, brown hair sprinkled with grey. Harry Hart, smiling in his ever perfect suit. _I'm so going to kill you._ He kneeled next to her to cut her ties and offered her his help to stand up. She despised the proposal and did it on her own. By the look on his face, she knew she had done what she was supposed to. _A fat lot of good that does me, now that I know I'm not going to die._ She crossed her arms on her chest. The dress had been ripped at some parts by the ties, the rails and the whole operation. What a waste of fancy clothes.

"I'm tired of thinking I'm gonna die at every fucking moment," she grumbled. "Am I supposed to be happy right now or…?

\- Well you should, because that was bloody well done.

\- How did the others do ?

\- Roxy passed with flying colours," he said, still smiling. "Charlie's up next. Want to watch ?

Just let me catch my breath and figure out how the hell I'm still alive and yeah, all right."

He smiled even more and waited patiently for her to compose herself. She gestured him to lead the way and followed. _I hate this agency._ He led her into the control room, Merlin's room, and showed her the screens. Roxy was already there, in front of Percival. He looked at her and nodded when he saw Harry. She smiled to her friend – _yes, my friend_ , and stared at the screens.

Charlie was screaming, more or less like a child, and answering every each question he was asked. She raised an eyebrow and turned her head toward Harry. He shrugged. _Does that mean I'm done with him ?_ She almost wanted to laugh and dance, at this point. She didn't even care about what was next, she didn't even got the idea that she was finalist, that it was now her and Roxy. But her smile froze when she saw Arthur appearing in front of her ex-best enemy. _He was…_ She blinked. Everything took sense, suddenly. The way he utterly hated her. His innuendos with what she'd tried to do to his protégé. It was only because she was better than him since the very beginning. _Serves you right, Chester King._ Merlin switched off the screens and looked at them. When she saw everyone around straightening themselves, she mimicked them and lost her smile. _So now I'm supposed to be serious._

"Galahad, Percival, congratulations. Your candidates have reached the final stage of the testing process. As tradition allows, you now have twenty-four hours to spend with them," he declared. "From now on, there are not safety nets, understood ?

\- Because there used to be, of course.

\- Dismissed."

She nodded and tried to stay serious… But when she saw Roxy staring at her, she smiled again and hugged her. Their mentors didn't say a word, probably wondering why their protégés were hugging instead of competing and pondering how much of an influence they'd been for each other. They only separated after a while. They winked and both followed their old man.

Harry didn't say a word until the moment they went back in his broom closet, back from the Kingsman tub. It felt weird, coming back. She didn't feel like the same person that used to pull the peg months ago. He led her to his bureau and sat in his chair, in front of the desk. She looked around. The walls were covered with Sun's editions. _To pee or not to pee,_ she read. She frowned. It was not particularly vulgar, it was just highly surprising. Why would someone cover his walls with tabloid's covers ? It was… Not even artistic. Or useful.

"To pee or not to pee ?

\- That was the headline the day after I defused a dirty bomb in Paris.

\- Germany 1, England 5 ?

\- I missed that game," he sighed. "I was breaking up an undercover spy ring at the Pentagon." She smiled and showed the first cover. "My first mission. Foiled the assassination of Margaret Thatcher.

\- Not everybody would thank you for that one, y'know.

\- The point is, Max, nobody thanked me for any of them."

He tilted his head and looked even more serious. He was lecturing her, somehow. Trying to teach her something. She didn't cower, but kept quiet. He gestured her to sit, so she does. And she scrutinized him. He looked a bit more relaxed than usual, except for the time he was in his awful dressing gown. A bit tired, maybe, but he was probably jetlagged from his last trip to the US. She wanted to ask how it'd gone with Carter, but she knew he would send her packing. Politely, but resolutely. When he saw she was glaring at him, he raised an eyebrow. She didn't lower her eyes. Not this time.

"Front page news on all these occasions was celebrity nonsense, because it's the nature of Kingsmans that our achievements remain secret," he declared calmly. "A gentleman's name should appear in the newspaper only three times. When he's born, when he marries and when he dies. And we are, first and foremost, gentlemen.

\- That's me fucked then. It's like Charlie said, I'm pleb.

\- Nonsense. Being a gentleman has nothing to do with the circumstances of one's birth. It is something one learns.

\- Yeah, right," she sighed. "But how ?

\- All right, first lesson. You shouldn't be crossing your legs like that, as a woman."

She laughed and uncrossed her legs. He smiled and took something in one of his desk's drawer. Two glasses and a bottle of brandy. He handed her one of them once filled. She sipped it, carefully. She wasn't really willing to get drugged again, even with Harry. _What, even with Harry ?_ She brushed off the thought and concentrated on the alcohol. She didn't know much about oenology and stuff, but she knew it was a good one because it didn't taste bitter or unpleasant. It changed, from what she used to drink. _I used to drink to get wasted, so whatever the quality._

"I have something to ask you, Max," he told her, visibly curious. "Before the train came, you said that Kingsman wasn't worth dying for. Did you think it, or was it just you being arrogant ?

\- No. I thought it, and I still do.

\- Then why didn't you say anything ? At this point, Merlin and Percival thought it was over.

\- Kingsman may not be worth dying for," she said, thoughtfully. "But I owed you this. Not putting you in an awkward position. Or in danger, since I didn't now it was just some sick test of yours.

\- You would've died for me, and not for the Kingsman agency ?

\- For now, I would rather die for you, yes. It may change, when I'm Lancelot."

He seemed unsettled for once. He tilted his head and shook it slowly, as if trying to get a grasp of what she was saying. And he didn't say anything for a while. He played with his empty glass, staring at her but somehow looking behind her as well. She gulped and lowered her eyes. Would have she been able to, she would've blushed. _God what did I just say ?_ She'd sounded silly, stupid. Candid. Naïve. Everything she hated.

She looked at the walls. Everything was about stupid celebrities, Pamela Anderson and cie. Was it all her life would be about ? Being invisible ? _It wouldn't change so much._ She would still be invisible, but in fancy clothes. And with an Arthurian name. Not alone anymore. _Great. Living the rest of my life with old men._ And no other women, as far as she knew. She sighed. She was already dreaming her as Lancelot, but there was Roxy. And she wasn't trivial. She was appreciated, or at least, she didn't raise as much dispute than her. She was pretty, smart, obedient. Merlin was fond of her. Percival, of course, valued her. She wouldn't even be mad if she won instead of her. Disappointed, maybe. _And sad for…_ She gritted her teeth. She had to stop being so concerned with Harry. _You don't know him, for Heaven's sake._

"You're a surprising young woman, Max," he stated, smiling again. "You trust me so much that you would give your life to protect my secret, but not an international intelligence agency ?

\- I would protect the said international intelligence agency, and I did. But not because of the said agency, that's all.

\- You're going to kill Merlin. Literally.

\- I'm almost already killing him," she laughed. "He's going to quit, I'm afraid.

\- I did worse, back in my time. Even if he's younger than I am, I've been his nightmare for a great length of time.

\- You still are. I saw the way he looked at you, when you were… Down."

He nodded. They could've gone far with this conversation, and she wouldn't have really minded to go on, but he stood up and urged her to take her coat. They apparently had an appointment he had forgotten about. She suspected him of trying to avoid her and her questions, remarks, and comments. _You can't deal with a girl half your age, old pal ?_ She followed him in the car and looked around.

It's been a while since the last time she'd been outside, in the streets. She recognized the way to the tailor shop when he turned next to the pub she'd been hiding in after her failed robbery. She leaned her head on the pane. It didn't look like the same city, viewed from this fancy car, next to this fancy chap. Wouldn't have she had the marvellous idea to break into the Kingsman's tailor that she would probably have left the city. She couldn't stay somewhere for too long, and what'd happened with Johnson was an example of what happened usually each time she'd stayed too long in some place.

When they got into the shop, she couldn't help laughing at the sight of the suits, shoes and ties. _It's like a nightmare. Or a dream, I can't tell._ He greeted the seller, an old man behind the counter. She hadn't seen it, back then. Maybe he was just… A seller. Not a Kingsman, not a secret agent. A plain man, doing a plain job. _That would be disappointing, though._

"Now, the first thing every gentleman… And every lady needs is a good suit. By which I mean, a bespoke suit, never off-the-peg," he said, walking toward the fitting room. _More like, fitting living room._ "And Kingsman suit are bulletproof, so let's get you measured. Whether you get the job or not, you'll have a lasting and useful memento of your time at Kingsman.

\- I'm sorry sir," the seller intervened. "A gentleman is completing his fitting. Fitting Room Two is available.

\- One does not use Fitting Room Two when one is popping one's cherry." She rolled her eyes and hid her smile. "Perhaps I'll show you Fitting Room Three while we wait."

He led her into a cabinet and closed the door behind her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had dirt in the hair, thanks to the rail test, and her make-up had ran. _Thanks, Harry, you could've told me I looked like a panda._ She brushed it with the back of her hand while he pulled a peg next to her. The wall opened. And she suspended her movements.

The room was full of weapons, gear and devices and she couldn't possibly imagine what they were supposed to do. She walked inside, slowly, admiring everything around her. She'd never seen so many lethal things in a single room. Or so she imagined them to be. Pens, lighters, shoes, rings, ties, briefcases, pouches. _I'm living in a James Bond film._

"Oh yes. Very, very nice.

\- You're going to need a pair of shoes to go with your suit. Kitten heels, allowing you to move and be smart at the same time," he said while handing her a pair of shoes. "By the way, if you're still wondering, an Oxford is any formal shoe with open lacing. The additional decorative piece is called broguing.

\- At last I know. These shoes are awfully hideous, though, what are those heels ?

\- You better get used to them. Your weapon scores are excellent, by the way." She showed her the umbrellas and the regular guns. "These you are familial with and this is our standard issue pistol. Quite unique, as you'll see. It fires a shotgun cartridge for use in messy close-range situations." He turned toward her. "How do they feel ?

\- Hmm… Good. Old, but good."

She stood up and tried them. He then asked her to impersonate a German aristocrat doing… _A formal greeting ? What ?_ She blinked and shrugged. _Do I really look like a German woman ?_ She was called Muller, but still. She was full-breed French. Even if she didn't really feel French anymore. Especially when talking to a full-breed English with a perfect poshy Oxford accent. She knew she was slowly taking it, and somehow, it didn't really bother her. It sounded funny, in her mouth.

He finally sighed and showed her by taping his heels together. A blade went out. She did the same and whistled in admiration. _Now that's something._

"That is sick.

\- In the old days, they had a phone in the heel as well. Get it back very carefully, it's coated in one of the fastest acting neurotoxins known to man.

\- Wow, okay…" She pushed it on the wall. "And those ? The pens ?

\- I've had a lot of fun with this. One of our finest examples of chemical engineering. A poison, harmless when ingested… But at a time convenient to you…" He pulled the cap, turned it. "Can be remotely activated. Primed. Lethal.

\- And the rings ? They're what, hand grenade ?

\- Don't be ridiculous, they're signet rings and they electrocute." He showed her his. "A gentleman wears it on his left hand, but a Kingsman and a lady wears it on whichever hand happens to be dominant. Touch the contact, it delivers fifty thousand volts."

She shook her head, not even surprised. Between the poisoned shoes, the poisoned pen and the electric rings… She waited for him to deactivate it and touched it lightly. It was gold, as far as she could tell. It was engraved with his initials and the infamous K of Kingsman. She took his hand to overturned it and look at the contact. She didn't really figure out she was holding his hand without any real reason.

When she did, she froze and released it slowly. _What the…_ Of course, it was too late and he was glaring at her with the same mix of surprise, interest, amusement and something else, this dark something at the back of his eyes she couldn't understand. _Why did I do that._ She could've just asked to see the ring. _But I don't care about his ring._ She cleared her throat and brushed her hair. It was still dirty. She walked to the door and stopped there. Dirt in her hair, while he was perfectly dressed. _What am I thinking, again ? You're stupid, Max. And sentimental._ And ridiculous. He took the lead and came back in the shop, where the seller smiled and showed them the open door.

"Perfect timing, the gentleman's just finished.

\- Mister DeVere !" She gasped. _Carter. What the hell is he doing here ?_ She stood still, trying to look calm. "What a coincidence. You are totally the reason I'm here, when you left my house… I was thirsting for that dope-ass smoking jacket you had on and since I'm going to Royal Ascot…" He smiled. He had a venomous smile. "Apparently you need one of these penguin suits so here I am. But what are you going here ?

\- My new handmaiden. I was just introducing her to my tailor.

\- Another coincidence, so am I," he said, showing his assistant. He turned toward her. "What's up, gal ? Richard Carter."

She bowed her head and shook his hand. _It's not good. Absolutely not._ She could see in his eyes that he knew something. Something he shouldn't have known. She prevented herself from looking at Harry. He was tensed. She could tell, his hand on her shoulder what almost painful. _Smile._ She did, and it apparently pleased Carter. He took back his hand and nodded. The way he was looking at her reminding her of the way Charlie and his friends used to look at her before the first test. _A piece of meat._ Poisoned meat.

"Have you had any chance," Harry intervened. "To think further of my proposal ?

\- Most definitely. My people will be getting in touch with you very soon." He smiled even more. "I guarantee it.

\- A word of advice. Ascot requires top hat. I might suggest Lock and Co. Hatters, Saint James'.

\- "Lox"… As in smoked fish ?

\- As in "locked up".

\- I have trouble understanding you people sometimes," Carter sighed, disillusioned. His eyes were still shining dangerously, though. "You all talk so… Funny. Don't they ?

\- They surely do."

Her voice was raspy. Less confident than she'd expected it to be. He nodded and went out, followed by his assistant. She waited for him to disappear before turning her head toward Harry. He blinked and forced himself to smile. _Doesn't work with me._ He looked around and ordered one of the tailors to take her of her. She frowned and held him back.

He turned and looked at her. There was no surprise or amusement anymore in his eyes. Only seriousness and concern. She released him and breathed deeply. _He's not going to wait for me._

"Is everything alright ?

\- As far as you're concerned, yes. Let them measure you, it's your only mission for today. When you're done, they will escort you back to the headquarters.

\- Are you…

\- A Kingsman never discusses order, Max. We'll talk when all of this is over" he said. He paused and looked at her dead in the eyes. "Be careful, tomorrow. It might be triggering. "

She nodded and watched him disappear outside. When the seller asked her if she was ready, she just went behind him. _There's something wrong,_ she couldn't help thinking. _And it's not just about Carter._ The dark thing in his eyes. The way he just avoided conversation that revolved too much around him, or her. She shook her head and did what she was told to do. _Don't overthink, you have a test tomorrow._ The last one, hopefully, and come what may.

* * *

* _Oh great. Really great._


	9. IX

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **IX**

She wouldn't have thought it was so complicated to get measured. Raise an arm, then the other, then both, move a leg, turn, look right, look left, get onto the catwalk, step off the catwalk, turn… _Maybe it was the test, after all._ They made her wait in the shop until the "private tub" returned from the castle. She sat in the same chair she sat in last time she came. Except that Merlin was not keeping her under surveillance, except that Harry was not coming to ask her questions, except that now she was running for Kingsman. Except that everything had changed. _I'm going sentimental again,_ she thought, jaded.

At some point, they asked her to take the said tub. And so she came back to the headquarters. She was slightly disappointed, even though it'd been quite a day. She hadn't had the chance to talk much with Harry, and there she was, alone in the dorm. It seemed so big, now that there were only two of them left. _Well, I'm alone, so it's rather one of us left._ She sat on her bed. Not so long ago she didn't know about the whole Kingsman folklore. She just lived her life from hand to mouth. And now ? She was trying to become a super-secret agent. Life had a way to take ironic turn.

She was trying to get some sleep when the door opened. She opened her eyes and looked at her. She gestured her to come and sat. She glanced at the clock hung on the wall. It was the evening, not so late yet. The two girls smiled at each other and sighed at the same time. _Well, I guess we're tired the same, then._

"Why aren't you with Percival ?

\- We heard about Galahad's mission," Roxy answered, shrugging. "I thought it wasn't fair that I got time with my mentor and not you.

\- That's… Kind of you.

\- We're rival, not enemy."

She nodded. It felt weird, talking to her as a friend. _She's my friend. It has a nice ring to it._ But still she was potentially the one who could steal her the job. She wished she could just hate her, it would be way easier. But she couldn't. It was _Roxy_ , her smile, her kindness, her smartness, her _perfection_ in every respect. And she didn't want to stain their friendship with someone so vile as jealousy and envy.

She leaned her head on her shoulder. She didn't move. _I wish I'd lived that earlier._ Maybe it would've been easier to play the game knowing the rules better. Even if she was to get the job, she wasn't quite sure to be able to adapt herself to the whole posh-snobbish-scornful atmosphere of the agency. That was worth a try, sure, but well. She didn't quite know if the other "poor background" experiment had made it, or if he was a failure. _I'm sorry, bud, didn't want to call a failure but you get the idea._

"So, what have you done with him ? Did some shopping ?

\- Oh, no he… Well, we talked about my dad," she answered softly. "He knew him.

\- Oh my, I'm sorry I didn't know your father was…

\- It's okay, really. Don't worry. I deal with it.

\- We always deal with it." She smiled. "We don't really have the choice, do we ?

\- Oh so yours…

\- Yep."

Silent lingered between them. It wasn't awkward or sad, it was just… Contemplative. The thought of her parents always gave her pause. She was used to their absence, but still there was this… Hole, in her chest. It wasn't painful, it was just there. She couldn't quite forget it. And this hole in her mind. The night they died was blurry, her brain had stored it deep in her memory, trying to get the blood, the shots and the cries away from her. And it worked. She couldn't really remember how, when it happened. _Just like some old book you would've forgotten._

"What happened ? If it's not too much.

\- Don't worry," she said. "They got killed when I was about seventeen. Yours ?

\- My mother's still alive. My father… He got killed too.

\- How lucky we are.

\- Tell me about it." She heard Roxy laughing. "What do you think tomorrow's going to be about ?

\- I don't know. We've had everything, but I don't think something physical. I mean, Harry told me it would be triggering.

\- Percival told me the same thing."

 _Great, we're getting traumatised._ She rolled her eyes and lied down again, tired as hell. She wasn't going to be amazing, at this rate. Roxy yawned and brushed her hair. Apparently she wasn't the only one. It'd been hell of weeks here. Whatever was to happen, it would probably be the experience of her life. Simultaneously the worst and the best time she'd lived. _Charlie, Arthur, the almost-dying thing with Roxy, Harry and the whole better future thing._ The scales were tending toward the second part, though.

"Y'know what ? We should get some sleep.

\- You bet we should," Roxy sighed, standing up and collapsing on her own bed. "That's going to be the worst night of my life.

\- You'll just sleep like a baby. You'll lose track of time.

\- Yeah, I guess." She turned off the light and buried herself in the bedclothes. "Hey, Max ?

\- Hmm ?

\- Good luck, for tomorrow. May the best man win.

\- The best lady, you mean." She closed her eyes. "Good luck too."

Exactly as she'd said, she slept all night long and only woke up because of Merlin's usual alarm, asking them to get ready. She dressed herself, combed herself like a zombie. When she put on the awful suit, she couldn't help smiling. It was the last time she would wear it. For the best or the worst.

When they got ready, he ordered them to split up and to go in two different rooms. They obeyed and didn't even look at each other. It wasn't bad mood or competition, just concentration. They had no idea what they were getting into.

What she went into was a private room, old, English-styled, all in wood and dark-green hanging and wall covering. It was heavy, but it was beginning to look familiar. There was no one in the room, and almost nothing except a fireplace, books on shelves, two armchairs and a single book open on the coffee table between the chairs. She walked around the room, idly, and finally sat.

When she eyed the book, it held her attention. There were photographs printed on the pages. She looked around. _Well, it can't hurt._ She took it and almost burst out laughing. It was Harry, probably by the time of his arrival in Kingsman. He was smiling cockily, a hand in his pocket. _Oh god he's been young, once._ He wasn't older than her, and though she could recognize his eyes, the tiny light inside and the way he was smiling at the camera, it didn't look like him. He seemed so… So adolescent. So arrogant. _Now I can see why he chose me._ She turned the pages. Photographs after photographs she witnessed his ageing. And he was aging really well. Merlin, as far as she could tell since him having hair looked like some fairy-tale, wasn't aging at all. But still, something had changed in him too. He'd lost this tiny spark of youth and mischief that used to enliven his eyes. _They are close friends,_ she realized when she saw them embracing each other, smiling and laughing. She knew it, of course. But they both seemed so aloof, she wouldn't have thought they could be _this_ close.

She flipped through the pages concerning agents she didn't know anything about and stopped when she saw Gawain's part. _So this is my predecessor._ He was young. He was standing next to a younger Harry, but not so younger, at most five or ten years from then. He was taller than him, thinner, darker too. She blinked. _He… Reminds me of someone._ She touched the photographs, startled. _His eyes…_ She gulped and turned the page, alarmed.

And she felt her heart stopping. They weren't photos of him, of Gawain. They were crime scene photos. _Last mission,_ she read at the bottom of the pages. Two people were lying on the flour, covered with blood. A boy was kneeling next to them. His face was visible and she knew who he was. And she knew who the people around him were too. He was his brother. And the people around were Galahad, Arthur and Gawain. _No innocent has to die,_ she read above the last photograph. It showed a man sat against the wall, hand pressed against a wound. Gawain. _No innocent has to die._ An epitaph, underneath. He was glaring at the cupboard in front of him. The door was slightly open. Nothing was visible inside but then again, she knew what was inside. Who was inside. _Me. I was inside._

She released the book. It fell on the carpet with a thud. _Harry was there._ She stared at the fire without being able to see it. She was just seeing it again, the images. The scene. Hearing the voices. Smelling the gunpowder. Feeling the vibration of the shots. _"Pitié, pas les enfants !"*_ Her, hidden in the cupboard, looking in terror, trying to hold her whimpers back. Harry, shooting twice, his face completely emotionless. Her mother. Her father. Her brother not making a single sound, unable to move. _"Gawain. You take care of the boy."_ Arthur, gesturing him to shoot. Gawain looking his boss, then the boy. Then spotting her, in the cupboard. Her blood freezing. _"I'm not killing him, he's innocent."_ The sound of his gun falling, hitting the parquet. Arthur insisting, screaming. _"A Kingsman doesn't discuss !"_ Then shooting. A thud, Gawain holding her brother against him, a growing red stain on his perfect suit. The sound of police siren. Harry and Arthur disappearing. Gawain laying down her lifeless brother, his own wound pouring blood on the floor. Turning toward her, opening the cupboard's door, shushing her. _"I'm so sorry. I thought I was on the good side. I'm so sorry. No innocent had to die tonight."_ His cold hand on her cheek, the blood drying on her flesh. _He was there. He was there and he told me nothing._

When the door opened behind her, she jumped. Arthur. And Charlie. She couldn't think correctly, her mind was clouded. _He was there. They were there. They knew._ He sat in front of her, looked at the book and smiled slightly. Charlie stayed on his feet, next to the chair. She couldn't make a noise. _Harry was there._

"You know, Maxime… It pains me to admit it, but I think that one day you might be a good spy as any of us." He took a gun out of his pocket and put in on the table, exactly where the book had been. He glared at Charlie and came back to her. "Galahad has a fine taste, when it comes to choosing his protégés. Better than mine, I'm afraid. You were right about Charlie.

\- As it seems.

\- Please, take the gun." She did. Robotically. "Now shoot Charlie."

She froze. Her brain woke up and she raised her eyes. He looked surprised, to say the least. Panicked, to say the truth _._ She weighed up the gun. It was loaded. _He asks me to kill him._ How much would've she been happy to do it, days ago. Maybe hours. He was a jerk. An asshole. A misogynist daddy's son. And Kingsman was hanging by a thread of his hair.

She smiled cruelly. Arthur seemed pleased. Charlie, less. But they couldn't understand what was going on in her head. Everything suddenly made sense. The dark little something in Harry, Merlin's eyes. The innuendos of Arthur. The lack of explanation. Her, being Harry's choice. Kingsman was hanging by a thread, but what was Kingsman anyway ? _A bunch of liars, betrayers and bastards._ Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. She exactly knew what she had to do. _To beat the game, destroy the game._ She put her finger on the trigger.

"No, please ! I've been a jerk, I know but… But it was a game, alright ? A game, I wasn't…

\- Maxime. Shoot.

\- Please !"

She gulped and closed her eyes. _Harry lied to me. I trusted him._ No, not now. Later. She stood up, walk in front of both Arthur and Charlie, without loosing her aim. He was panting, begging. _Children beg._ She didn't beg. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He shivered. She slowly turned her head toward Arthur. He was sitting like a king on his throne, sipping his scotch. _You killed them. You gave the order._

But it wasn't so much about her parents. She always knew there was something wrong with them. The way they taught her and her brother how to use guns. The way they behaved, the people they knew. The works they did. The blood they usually had on their clothes when they went back home. She always knew it, never forgot it. Police said they were killed by another mafia. Retaliation, they called that. They loved their children, loved her and her brother, probably. But it wasn't enough. Now she remembered her brother slowly losing his innocence. The way he talked, the way he described her their parents. _"Un truc va finir par arriver, Max. Faut que tu sois prête."**_ By that time, she was ready to face it. Their death. But her brother's ? _He was innocent. No innocent had to die._ That's what he said. So why him ? If anything, it was the only thing she couldn't stand in this night. Killing crooks was part of the Kingsman's job, she could deal with it. But her brother ? Herself ? _The lies ?_ She smiled again and turned his gun toward Arthur. Then suddenly he understood he'd been presumptuous. And she shot.

And nothing happened. _Why of course._ It was blank. She released the weapon, still smoking. It fell next to the book, burned the photograph of her parents. And Arthur was trembling with rage. Charlie was dead silent. Everything was dead silent. Including her. For the first time, she didn't care about what Harry would think, would say, would see. _He'd lied to me._ She just cared about the hole in her chest. It was burning. It was painful. It tasted betrayal and blood. It tasted broken illusions and naivety.

"I knew you couldn't make it," Arthur said with a raspy voice. "I knew you were just…

\- I wish it'd been live.

\- I beg your pardon ?

\- I wish it'd been live," she repeated blankly. "Is there anything I need to explain you ?

\- Go home."

She didn't move for a couple of seconds, staring at the old man in front of her. He may have been the boss, but she knew she could knock him down with her bare hands. But he didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve it, going to jail because of him. So she went out of the room, then out of the castle. She found a car, parked in front of entrance. _But I deserve a ride._ She got in the said car, started it and drove way too fast. She didn't care. There was nothing she could care less about than driving too fast with a stolen care. _They knew._ And they said nothing. They killed them, they killed him. They looked at her straight in the eyes. Told her she was someone. Told her they didn't know her. _They destroyed my life._ Once, then again. And she didn't understand anything.

She almost provoked one or two accidents before arriving in London. She didn't know where she was going, but she was surely going to find out. She didn't know what she wanted. Get wasted, drugged, get killed, put in jail. She just wanted something, something to sooth _the fucking pain_ in her chest. Her blood was boiling in her veins. She couldn't think straight. _They betrayed me._ If only he was just them. _He betrayed me._

She stopped in front of a bar she used to go with Johnson. She knew she could probably get some sick scraps out of the drunkards who burned around the place. _I need it. Violence._ To get rid of the whole mess she was feeling. Hatred, rage, sadness, despair. Disillusion. _How stupid was I, to trust a man like him ?_ She shook her head and tried to get out of the car.

But the door was locked. And it began to drive itself. She pushed the door, struggled with the seat belt, but there was nothing she could do. And she exactly knew where the car was going. _You… Fucking…_ She screamed like a maniac, tried to reroute the fucking car, but it didn't divert. It went straight where it was supposed to go. Harry's house. Perfect Harry's House. He was at the balcony, piloting the car with his tablet as if it was some toy. And he was looking at her, hard faced. But then again, she didn't care about what he might think of her, or what she did. Of the whole situation.

She got out of the car and entered the house without saying anything. He was there. Staring at her, pure disappointment painted on his face, hands buried deep in his pocket. She didn't lower her eyes.

"Why the fuck did you try to shoot Arthur ?

\- When did you think you would've told me ?

\- Told you what ?" He raised his voice, angered. "I _told you_ it would be triggering. You threw away your best opportunity because of a stupid test you _should_ have smelled, and then you humiliated me by stealing my boss' car !

\- When. Did you think. You would've told me ?"

She walked toward him. She didn't even hear him. She couldn't hear anything but her heart pounding again. He frowned and crossed his arms on his chest. _You sick bastard._ He couldn't even imagine she would know everything. She clenched her fists.

"I've asked you a question !

\- I don't know what you're talking about, Max, I…

\- YOU WERE THERE !" she screamed. "You destroyed my life with your bare hands. YOU KILLED MY BROTHER !"

He froze and blinked, unable to answer. Now he was unsettled. _Now_ he knew. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Her voice wasn't recognizable. It sounded strident, almost scary. And he was just looking at her, trying to find the words to appease her. _Useless, asshole._ She'd been weak, she'd been stupid. Now she was seeing the whole truth.

"We followed the orders, Maxime, we couldn't…

\- Don't play this game with me." She shook her head. "You didn't even try to stop him !

\- Your parents were terrorists, the mission…

\- I don't give a shit about your fucking mission ! My brother was innocent, I was innocent !

\- I know," he said, trying to stay calm. "Max, I wanted to tell you everything but I wanted to wait for you to…

\- Become one of yours ? Become one of your fucking killers ?!"

She paced up and down around him, like a lion in a cage. She knew she was watched, that Merlin could probably see her and that he would send someone if anything was to go wrong. _I thought you were a friend._ She'd trusted him too. Thought he was with her. He was just toying, waiting for Harry to tell her the truth and see the result.

Or maybe they just felt guilty about what happened that night, when they'd made her an orphan without future. Maybe they were just trying to ease their conscience, by shaping her in exactly what had destroyed her life, her future, her family. She bit her lips and clenched her fists even tighter. Her nails were cutting into the flesh of her hands. Soon blood would be dripping, staining the fancy carpets. She wasn't nearly done, and she didn't want to be, because as soon as she would've said everything she had to say, she would collapse. And go to never return. _But go where ? He has destroyed me again, stolen any future from me._

"I trusted you ! I thought you were different, you thought you… You really cared about me and my future !" she shouted, more desperate now than enraged. "I cried when you were out, I took care of you, and you ?! You betrayed me !

\- I cared about you, Max, and I still do. I wasn't sure who you were, until the first test. I couldn't tell you, you needed… Time, to see who we really are.

\- Oh but I know who you all really are. Arthur, Merlin, Percival, even you, you're exactly what you tried to make me believe you're not." She tasted blood in her mouth. Her teeth were cutting her lips. "Upperclass bastards who don't give a shit about the consequences of their actions ! You played with Gawain and you played with me !"

At the mention of Gawain, his face darkened. In another time, another place, she would've felt guilty but now ? Now she just wanted him to suffer as much as she was suffering. The hole in her chest was burning her, torturing her. What burned even more was the knowledge she had that it wasn't her parents' death that hurt her. It wasn't even her brother's. _It's him._ This man she used to believe in, this man she admired. This man she'd grown to… _I want him dead._ Dead by her hands, bloody dead, painfully dead.

"Your brother wasn't the aim, he shouldn't have been there and neither should've you. We didn't understand it but it'd been…

\- SHUT UP !" Hearing his voice, it just tore her a little bit more every time, every second. "I don't want to listen to you.

\- Maxime, please, just listen and then…

\- Can't you see ?" Her voice was now weak, almost childish. "It could've been Arthur that it wouldn't have surprised me. Percival, and I wouldn't have cared. Merlin would have disappointed me. All of them ? Maybe I would've been upset." She paused, trying to stop herself from crying. Her eyes were burning with hatred. "But it was you and all of them. I don't care why you followed Arthur's fucking orders. I don't care why you let Gawain die, why you didn't try to interpose yourself. You betrayed me. I trusted you. I…

\- Maxime…

\- I loved you, Harry. Or maybe it was also just a lie ?" Her voice hardened again. "Arthur was right. I'm not Kingsman material, because I'm not a fucking liar. I hate all of this, everything you had me doing, everything you made me believe. But you ?" She came closer to him. He didn't move. "I hate you to death, Harry Hart, and I hope this fucking mission of yours is going to be the death of you. And I hope I'll see it."

She stormed out of the house and began to run, run, run. It was raining, but she didn't care. At least people couldn't see that it wasn't raindrops on her face. At least she could pretend it was only rain flowing on her cheeks. And this time she didn't stop, even when her legs began to ache, even when she went gob-smacked. And somehow, the pain, the physical pain, it soothed the mental one, because it reminded her of who she was, before he happened. Of who she could be again.

Maxime Muller, daughter of dead parents, sister of a dead brother. A lost soul, a thief, a drug-dealer sometimes. A mess. Someone that no one and nothing could damage. Someone that no one could change, even some old man with a cocky smile and a posh accent. But then again, it was all lies. She wasn't this woman anymore. _He destroyed me. He destroyed me._ And when she collapsed, alone in a back alley, she couldn't pretend it was rain anymore. Because she was crying and nothing, no one could stop her from crying, trying to wash away all the things he had given her to snatch them back. _He destroyed me. I'm destroyed again._ And there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

* _Please, not the children !_

 _** Something's going to happen, Max. You need to be ready._


	10. X

**A/N :** Thanks to all of you who read me ! I hope you enjoy it. Don't hesitate to leave reviews !

* * *

 **Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **X**

She ended up in some squat she used to frequent and, somehow, slept the whole day and the whole night without waking up. When she did, it took her a while to remember where she was and why she wasn't in the dorm. _Oh, right. It's over. Everything's over._ Her life was over. She closed her eyes again, trying not to cry. She felt weak. Young, so young. She was alone again after months of being close to… She gritted her teeth and got on her feet. She was still wearing the awful brownish patch suit. She threw it aside and slipped on clothes she found in a locker. They were not her size, too big, wide and long, but it did the trick. She was about to leave when she got stopped. _If someone find them… Oh merde, putain.*_ She was still thinking like one of them, concerned about what might happen if anyone were to find the suit. She tossed it inside the first plastic bag she could find and kicked the door.

Someone hailed her, gave her a paper, saying that some pal had asked him to give it to her when she would be awake. She took it and leaved. She thought she'd ran for quite a long time but she wasn't so far away from… From his house. Maybe a few blocks away. She lowered her eyes to read the note.

 _I still have your clothes. I'm not going to be there before a few days, if you want to retrieve them. If they're still there when I'm back, I'll throw them away._

She tensed. It was his hand-writing. She crumpled the note, threw it as far as possible and took her head in her hands. She didn't care about her clothes, but even after all she had said, all these things she'd thought and she still thought, he was still there, haunting her. _If only you could just die, for god's sake !_

But maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. If he'd proposed her to come, it meant that the door was probably unlocked, or at least unlockable. There were things to steal. Things to sell. Enough, probably, to pay her a one-way to any country far away from here and all the memories, shattered dreams and illusions she had. Maybe the US. She smiled and headed toward his house, slowly. He was going to regret this… Magnanimous move. And she was going to make sure he would _never_ try to trick any other lost girl or boy into his sick game. _To destroy an already destroyed gal was probably your greatest mistake, bruv._

As she had guessed, the entrance door's lock wasn't complicated to pick – or, rather, wasn't made to be complicated. She entered without much trouble and didn't stop to look around. It would've been too painful. She was there to steal, to make him pay, even if it wasn't going to be enough to sooth her wrath. She found her clothes folded on the kitchen table, but ignore them. She was aiming for valuable things. Jewels. Maybe little furnitures.

She collected everything she could in a leather briefcase. Cufflinks, some watches here and there, a little radio, everything that could have a value. When she went upstairs, she went through his room. She couldn't help stopping for a second. _I'm violating his house. His tru…_ She shook her head and took everything. Did he give a shit about _her_ trust ? No. She wasn't going to be merciful.

Then she went inside the bureau. The newspapers were still there, covering the walls. Oddly enough, apart from the computer, there was nothing there. She put her bag on the floor and sat in front of the desk. The computer was put to sleep. She looked around and pushed a key. The screen came on. A video was displaying. She frowned. It was taken from an internal point of view, probably from those glasses of their. _Is this…_ She heard Merlin giving orders when she turned up the volume. _He's broadcasting his mission live ?_

She was going to leave with her loot when she recognized what was around him. _It's… It's Paris ?_ She sat again, dumbfounded. _What the hell are they doing in…_ A gym ? She recognized it. It was a local gym in Paris's suburbs. The poor ones. There were banners hung everywhere, hiding the basketball hoops. _Richard Carter charity._ Carter. So it was the pilot test ? It was supposed to be in the US, why in France ?

"Be careful, Galahad," Merlin said. "There are as many security guards as there are around the Queen herself.

\- I can tell. Any sign of Carter ?

\- Not as far as I can see.

\- Any news from Max ?

\- No," he answered. He cleared his throat. "Stay focused. We'll deal with her when you're back.

\- I don't think she'll be there when I'm back."

 _You bet I will._ She gave a faint scowl and reduced the video's window to go through his files. Of course, nothing was accessible. No photographs, no movies, no documents. Nothing but the video. _Where would I hide my private files if I were a private agent ?_ Her heart tightened. She brushed aside the pain in her chest and opened the drawers, searching for some USB plug. She found nothing.

Disappointed, she went back to the video. People were queuing up in front of a huge table. _Well it's a kitchen soup, they just wait for the soup._ It was getting boring as hell, until the moment she saw the security guards leaving the gym, one by one. Calmly. As if trying not to attract too much attention. _I should tell… Oh god, Max !_ She frowned. She wasn't going to help _them_. She was supposed to steal him, not help him.

But she couldn't get her eyes off the screen. Not when all those hatchet men were just leaving for no apparent reason. And locking the doors. _What the hell ?_ She closed her eyes, breathed deeply. _You. Can't. Do…_ But it wasn't about him, was it ? It was about them, the people gathered around the table. _No innocent has to die, remember ?_ When she opened back her eyes, she sighed in defeatism and began to look around, searching for a mike, anything that would enable her to be heard.

She found it in a cupboard next to the window. It was old, probably as old as her, but it would do. She plugged it into the computer. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. _Stupid arse,_ she berated herself. _You do that for them. Not him._ He was apparently trying to find Carter in the crowd. _He's not there, you idiot._

"The security guards are closing the doors, you better find out why.

\- What the… Max ?" Merlin shouted out. "How are you even there ?

\- I was stealing everything I could in Harry's house and someone forgot to switch off his computer.

\- You did it on purpose ?

\- I'm old, I tend to forget things easily." The camera turned toward the doors. There were no more security guards. "Why did they go ?

\- If you only had cared a little bit more about what was happening around you than about Carter, you would've seen."

Her voice was bitter and aloof, but she was glaring at the screen, trying to get a grasp of what was going on. People were taking their food, patiently waiting for everyone to be served. Some people were coughing. Silent lingered. A long time. A very long time. And even more people started coughing. _Is this… Blood ?_ She frowned and zoomed on a little girl that was holding a box of cookies. Her hands were red. _It's blood._ Hers turned cold.

"Harry, they're coughing blood," Merlin stated. "What's going on ? Do you feel anything ?

\- No I don't, I don't understand.

 _\- S'il vous plait, un médecin !"_ the girl's mother cried out when she fell in her arms. She turned to Harry and held out her hand. " _Monsieur !**_

\- She's bleeding too, look at her nose.

\- What the hell is happening ?! Is it the food ?

\- They haven't touch it," Harry answered while kneeling next to the girl. She was choking. " _Ne paniquez pas, je m'occupe d'elle._ "***

Her throat grew tighter. Around him, people were just collapsing by turns, blood everywhere. It was flowing from everywhere, eyes, mouth, nose, ears. And it didn't stop. _It can't be, there are… Children, women, elders !_ She contracted, unable to utter anything. She'd never seen so much blood.

Even those who were still standing, who were trying to help, were bleeding all the same. Soon enough, everyone would be on the floor, bleeding to death. _Carter…_ Professor Arnold. She placed a hand over her mouth. Carter had kidnapped him to steal him… A toxin. Something that caused that. This thing that was killing almost everyone, except maybe one or two people, helplessly trying to save their wife, child or parent.

"Harry, you must get out of here. There's nothing you can do for them.

\- I don't feel anything wrong, Merlin," he said, releasing the hand of the woman. Her eyes were half closed, reddened. He stood up. There was nothing around him but piles of corpses. "How can this be ?

\- The security guards are coming back, you _have_ to get your arse out of the gym !"

 _Too late,_ she thought when the door opened. They were all wearing masks, except for Carter and his assistant. He walked, looking around him as if the scene was absolutely normal. When Harry raised his gun, all the hatchet men raised theirs and aimed at him. _God._ She gulped. Jumped, when some of them shot. And saw, along with Harry and Merlin, that they had slayed the few that had survived the bleeding to death thing. _They were… So many._ Hundreds of people. All dead, lying on the floor.

Her throat was sore, her eyes dry. She couldn't get her eyes off the screen. She couldn't do anything for them. For him. _I don't…_ Fuck, it wasn't the time for this. Carter admired the gym, the blood everywhere and nodded, satisfied. _You…_ He tilted his head in front of Harry.

"What did you do to them ? They were fine and then they…

\- Clever, isn't it ?" He smiled proudly. "In simple terms, it's a toxin that triggers everything that can bleed in a body.

\- Spread in the air via the pipework, I assume.

\- Harry…" She whispered. "You must escape.

\- You assume well."

Suddenly, the hole in her chest didn't feel so painful. Suddenly what'd happened yesterday wasn't so important. Suddenly her parents, the lie, her life were but details. Because there was this barrel in front of her eyes, in front of his eyes. Suddenly she didn't care anymore about what he'd done to her, because this barrel was way too close to his head. _This is not going to happen. It can't happen._

"You know what the whole situation looks like ? Those old movies we both love," Carter said. "I should be telling you my whole plan and then coming up with some absurd and convoluted way to kill you… And you should find an equally convoluted way to escape.

\- Sounds good to me. What do you want to begin with ? The messed-up idea that killing the poor was a solution ?

\- Am I really hearing this from a Kingsman ?" He laughed. She shivered. "You're the epitome of elitism and snobbery.

\- So you're just going to sell the antidote to whoever can afford it ?

\- I'm disappointed."

Carter stopped smiling and lowered his weapon. She sighed in relief and tried to find something, anything to help him. But she was miles away from him, and she couldn't see anything but Carter's suit. _Off-the-peg,_ she noticed. What a disgrace, coming from someone so willing to play God and judge people on… What ? Their wealth ? Their ability not to bleed ? _Why's Harry immune anyway ?_ Why did some of them didn't get killed directly by the toxin ?

Merlin was dead silent, she couldn't even hear his breathing. She didn't dare to speak, fearing Carter might hear her and be inclined to get rid of the threat they all represented. _At least, the one I represent._

"It's not about selling or buying. Those who will survive this won't have paid for it, they will have _earned_ this right.

\- A right to live," Harry scoffed. "And I thought you were already a good megalomaniac villain's mimic.

\- Yeah, and I thought you were such a good impersonation of the knight in shining armour." He paused. His raised his gun again. _No !_ "But well. This is a game over, agent."

It went dreadfully slow. She almost saw the bullet emerging from the barrel. And then nothing. Only the detonation. And the screen went black. And she screamed. And it felt like an eternity before her scream died. _He can't be. He can't be. He can't be._ He wasn't. It just wasn't possible. She was staring at the black screen, at the "unresponding" window. Blankly. _I wished he would die._ She wished she would see it. And she did.

He couldn't be. He was Harry Hart, he'd survived an explosion, plenty of… Things she had no idea about. It couldn't be over. It couldn't end like this. _The last thing I told him…_ Last time she saw him. Her hands were shaking when she tried to brush the tears off her face. He couldn't be but he was. And she'd seen it with her own eyes. _He destroyed my life._

Three times had he destroyed her. When he destroyed his family. When he destroyed the trust she had in him. And now. Leaving without giving her the time to forget him, at least a bit. There was not a sound, not a whisper, not a breath from Merlin's part. Only the same distress. _It can't be over, not like this._ She couldn't leave him like this. She couldn't just accept the fact that the last thing she'd told him was her desire to see him dead.

She cut the mike when she burst into tears, unable to stop herself. She'd been crying without interruption since the day before. But right now, it wasn't just pain, sadness or despair. It was above everything. It felt like being torn apart. _I let him go thinking I hated him._ And she did, oh yes, she did. She hated him. But hate wasn't love's contrary. It was just an aspect of love. The most destructive and violent one, but still. _He can't be gone like this._ He was invincible, he was a secret agent ! How good was his power if he couldn't save himself ?

"Max," she heard Merlin say. "Max, are you here ?

\- I don't think she is.

\- Arthur…

\- Assemble the Kingsman," he ordered. "And find a way to contact her. I need to see her."

She closed the computer. _He wants to see me,_ she repeated herself. Arthur wanted to see her. Around her were the headlines, all those stupid gossips and scandals. And suddenly it just looked so vain. He'd saved the world countless of times to die like this ? Shot like a cow in a slaughterhouse ? _It can't be._ But it was.

The man who had seen in her something only he could see, the man who'd believed in her was dead. The man who'd betrayed her, lied to her, manipulated her as well. But she only cared about the first one. _I don't care about the lie, I want him back._

When she went down the stairs, she looked around, trying to find him. But he wasn't there. He wasn't going to be there anymore. She opened the briefcase and spread everything she'd taken. It all seemed so insignificant. Useless. She'd emptied a jewellery box in the bag without looking at its contents. She found a medal depicting Saint George flooring the dragon. _So English._ Its reverse was engraved. _Harry George Hart._ Somehow, knowing that he'd not lied about his identity… It worsened things. _I didn't try to listen to him._ She'd broken everything.

When she saw her clothes, perfectly folded, she couldn't help thinking about what he said. _My best opportunity._ She didn't care anymore about Kingsman, about any secret agency, about Merlin, Roxy, anything. _I don't have any future left._ She closed her eyes, trying to regain control of herself. It was hardly possible. She'd witnessed hundreds of people dying, she'd witnessed her mentor dying. The end of the world was probably near and there was nothing that could be done about it.

And Arthur wanted to see her. _One thing at a time, Maxime._ She needed goals, small ones. Going to see Arthur was one. Maybe it was enough to survive at least a few hours. She gulped and abandoned her bag and everything it contained. _One thing at a time._ She put on the medal around her neck and went out. Sun was setting. The wind was chilly. But she didn't feel it. _One thing._

She walked slowly to the Kingsman shop. She went through the main room, looked in every each bureau she could find. And finally found him, sat alone around a long table. _The Round Table._ Oval more than round, actually. He looked at her, both surprised and satisfied to find her here. He gestured her to sit next to him. _The Siege Perilous. Galahad's sit._

"Arthur," she softly said. "Harry's dead.

\- Galahad is dead. Hence, we have just drunk a toast to him.

\- But… What about what that psycho's doing ? How many people around the world are going to go to his kitchen soups ? How many people will bleed to death in the streets because of any… Way he will find to spread his toxin and…

\- Indeed, and thanks to Galahad's recordings, we have Carter's confession. The intelligence has been passed on to the relevant authorities. Our work is complete," he clarified. "And a most distinguished legacy for our fallen friend it is too.

\- And that's it ?"

She'd raised her voice. It couldn't just end like this, with the Kingsman drinking and the world trying to survive the hell Carter was going to unleash. They weren't going to stay here, sat in their chairs, watching people bleed to death until someone find a solution, that wasn't possible, was it ?

Arthur tilted his head and gestured her to sit again. He didn't seem touched to the least. He just seemed, as usual, indifferent. It wasn't Merlin's indifference, though. It was something else, something so much colder. So much genuine. Merlin was just hiding himself behind walls he'd built, and still it was possible to see through them. Arthur was just cold. And distant. When she finally sat, he showed her a bottle of alcohol and turned his head. _What the…_ He had a scar, beneath his ear. _This scar…_ The same that Professor Arnold had before his head exploded. The same Carter's assistant had. _No… It can't…_

"This is an 1815 Napoleonic brandy and we only drink it when we lose a Kingsman," he explained while uncorking it and pouring it in two glasses. _Two glasses…_ "Galahad was… Very fond of you and on this occasion I think it's acceptable to bend the rules a little.

\- Are these all Kingsmen ?" she curtly asked, showing him the portraits hung on the wall. While he turned his head, she switched the drinks. _He's trying to kill me._ "Old portraits, uh ?

\- Yes, they're founder members. Anyway, I want you to joint me in a toast to Galahad.

\- To Galahad."

She drank, knowing that there was a trap somewhere. _Let's just hope I managed to trap him back._ He smiled when she emptied her glass. Why of course he did. The brandy was good, probably, but it tasted bitter. It tasted betrayal. _So much for coming with good will._

She looked at her glass, then looked at him. Old, posh man with no compassion and no emotion. She was partly right, when she'd told Harry she wasn't Kingsman material. She wasn't _this_ Kingsman material. Charlie was. Some other boys were. She wasn't. She was Gawain-like material. _That's what he saw in me that I couldn't see._

"Harry says you don't like to break rules, Arthur," she said while playing with the crystal glass. "So why now ?

\- You're very good, Maxime. Perhaps I will make you my proposal for Galahad's position.

\- So kind of you.

\- Provided, of course," he declared while taking his pen and activating it. _The pen. You really think you can trick me like this ?_ "That we can see eye to eye on certain political matters.

\- Oh, so now you're threatening me ? Harry showed me. You click it, I die. I knew that brandy tasted a bit shit.

\- Bravo."

He smiled, still holding his pen. _I should've stolen one, when we were there._ Harry wouldn't have probably liked the idea of her trying to kill his boss, but now it just looked like a good idea. The best idea she'd ever had. He played with the button. _Yeah, play all you want granddad. Let's see who win this one._ She harshly laughed and leaned against her chair's back and shook her head.

"Carter won you over, somehow.

\- Once he explained, I understood his viewpoint. You can't stay sick for too long without dying or destroying the virus. And it works the same for Earth. We are the virus and we're killing it, a cull is our only hope. We need to reduce our population ourselves before Earth destroys us.

\- So it's all about green movement and Carter's willing to be the magnanimous hero of planet Earth ?

\- Well, if we don't do something, nature will.

\- And of course, he gets to pick and choose who gets culled, does he ?" She smiled. _And when I thought this day couldn't get any worse._ "All his rich mates, they get to live and anyone he thinks is worth saving, he's keeping them safe whether they agree with him or not ?

\- And you, Max. In Harry's honour, I am inviting you to be part of a new world." He tilted his head again and showed her the pen. "It's time to make your decision."

 _You sick old man._ She kept quiet for a while, trying to figure out if he'd always been such a jerk or if at any point of his life he'd been someone good. _Nah._ She released her glass and crossed her arms on her chest. There was no choice. No possible choice, anyway.

"I'd rather with Harry. Thanks."

* * *

* _Oh shit, fuck._

 _** Please, a doctor ! (...) Sir !_

 _*** Don't panic, I'm taking care of her._


	11. XI

**A/N :** Thank you, Guest, for your kind review !

* * *

 **Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **XI**

"With Harry ? With the one who betrayed you ?" He shook his head, disappointed. "With the one who refused to tell you the truth ?

\- Because of course you would've told me.

\- I wanted him to, but he considered you too… Fragile to handle the truth without doing something funny." He sighed. "He may have liked you but… You were not more trustworthy than some cute puppy."

She burst out laughing. Even with everything that'd happened, with everything she'd learnt about herself, her parents, Harry and the Kingsman agency, she had one certainty and it was Harry's opinion on her. She _knew_ how he saw her, what he saw in her. And she wasn't just some pretty girl with a fragile mind and a tragic past. It wasn't him. _It wouldn't be him in a thousand years._ She stopped when the doors opened again.

Her laugh had drawn the attention of Roxy, and she was standing there, at the entrance, her gun aiming at her. _Should I say Lancelot ?_ She smiled to her and jumped on Arthur. Everything went fast, incredibly fast. She took the pen from his hand and put her finger on the button. Arthur glared at her without understanding anything of what'd just happened.

"Lancelot, get us rid of this young woman please.

\- Wait a second, Roxy," she urged her. "I just need a few seconds to prove you you're working for an old and sick bastard. Actually, I just need to push this lil'button.

\- You wouldn't do something so stupid, would you ?

\- Y'see…" She simpered, walking slowly in his direction. "The problem with us common types is that we're light-fingered. Kingsman's taught me a lot but sleight of hand… I had that down already."

And suddenly he understood. He looked at his glass, at the pen she had in hand. And ordered Roxy to kill her, again. And Roxy didn't move, still aiming at her. She could see, feel the dilemma in her mind. She was her friend, but she was now a Kingsman. She was supposed to obey. _You're better than that, Roxy._

"Max, put the pen down," she told her. "Put the pen down or I'll have to…

\- To kill me ? You know me, Roxy. You know who I am. He's with Carter. He just offered me to survive the apocalypse he's preparing.

\- It can't…

\- Don't listen to her, Lancelot," he cried out. "She's trying to manipulate you.

\- Roxy, Harry's dead. Carter killed him. He's going to destroy humanity only to keep the wealthiest, the most powerful ones alive. We need to stop him."

She looked at Arthur, completely lost. The poor girl was used to be the gentle, obedient girl. She wasn't a rebel. She wasn't like her, this arrogant gal unable to sustain authority and injustice. She wasn't born like her, she hadn't lived like her. But still she was the best friend she'd ever had, and she was pretty sure the other way around was also true.

Roxy walked toward her, her gun still pointing at her. She didn't move, but tightened her hold of the pen. She hadn't killed Charlie, but she could've Arthur. And it was better than nothing, especially now.

"You don't have proves of what you say, do you ?

\- You can go and ask Merlin," she said calmly. "There are so many security cameras that he's probably watching us right now.

\- Just kill her, Lancelot, it is an order ! A Kingsman doesn't discuss !

\- Yes…" Roxy lowered her eyes. _Please, don't._ She put her finger on the trigger. "But no innocent has to die."

She turned her gun to Arthur. Maxime smiled and push the button. Seconds passed. Then he gasped. _Most powerful toxin in the world._ Harry hadn't lied. He choked, tried to breath, but couldn't. She didn't cower, didn't move her eyes. She'd seen death in its purest state, today. She could stand the sight of an old man dying.

"You… Dirty little fucking… Pricks !"

He growled, gasped and, finally, his head hit the table. Roxy lowered her gun, dazed. For a long time, they both didn't speak. They just stared at the dead body in front of them. Kingsman agency's boss. _Long live the King._

They almost jumped when his phone rang. She took it, looked at the message he'd just received. _V-Day in six hours, stay safe or find a shelter._ Coordinates were written. She looked at Roxy and gestured her to come closer. She read it, over and over again, while Max picked his pocket. _I'm pickpocket a dead man. How rude._ She found nothing, except for a little key with the Kingsman's K. There was no box, no lockers around. Only panelling and old portraits.

"Do you guys have some kind of… I don't know, locker room ?

\- What ?

\- I found this," she said while handing her the key. "It must open something and I don't know where Arthur used to put his stuff.

\- We don't have… Any locker.

\- Shit." She sighed and shook her head. "What about Arthur ? Isn't there any… I don't know, Kingsman's royal office ?

\- He has one. But I don't know if…"

Roxy bit her lips, still looking at the phone's screen. _She's doubting._ She couldn't blame her. Would have she been in her shoes, having to deal with something she couldn't even get a grasp of, she wouldn't believed her. Or the phone. Or anything. They'd passed months concurring for Kingsman, and now she wanted her to believe that her boss was a maniac ? _It's so unlike her._ And it was so unlike her not to have shot her when she got asked to.

"I can't believe it, Max.

\- You think I can ?" She shook her head. "I just saw hundreds of people bleeding to death in what they thought was a kitchen soup. It's not about believing it, or believing me. It's about trying to save what can be saved.

\- We need to find Merlin.

\- We need to find what this key's supposed to unlock, and then we find Merlin. Can you help me ?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. She left the room and asked her to follow. _Lancelot. The one who betrays King Arthur in the end. The aptly named._ She smiled faintly and went after in a corridor's maze. She stopped in front of an anonymous wooden door and opened it. It was an office, a rather big one actually, with, then again, portraits, books and leather chairs. _Rather run on the mill, for a boss' office._ She sidestepped her and went directly to the desk. _Touché,_ she thought when she saw the locked drawer.

The key fitted in the lock. She turned it, open the said drawer. There were three phials filled with a blue-ish liquid. Roxy frowned, and searched around. Arthur could've been a jerk, he was also a Kingsman. If anything, he'd been able to cloak his marks. Nothing was written on the phials, except a name. _Chester King._ Arthur's name, most probably. _Then again, aptly named._

"You said they bled to death," Roxy stated. "Can this be an… Antidote ?

\- I don't know. He said he could offer me a golden ticket to a brand new world… Maybe it had something to do with this.

\- Maybe, or maybe not, we have no idea about anything Max !" She started to pace to and fro, on the verge of panic. "We need Merlin !

\- How can you be so sure he's not into the whole Carter's thing ? We can't trust anyone, here.

\- We're talking about Merlin. What would you say if I doubted Harry ?"

 _Nothing, there's nothing to doubt anymore._ She saw Roxy almost instantly going pale. She apologized, and lowered her eyes. She could've shouted. She could've gone furious. But she didn't have the strength or the will. Or even the time. It wasn't about her, or Harry. It was about the world. She finally nodded and they both headed to the tub. It went right to the headquarter, while neither Roxy or her said anything. She ensured the phials didn't break or fall.

One thing at the time. _See Arthur, kill Arthur, steal Arthur. See Merlin._ She needed to stay focused. It was silly and it didn't comfort her, but that's what he would've wanted her to do. _Or maybe he just wanted me out of his life._ She would never know. _Shut up, Maxime._ Her personal grief couldn't interfere. Not now. One thing at the time.

When they got into the headquarter, Merlin was already there, a gun in his hand, its barrel aiming at her. _That's seriously going to piss me off._ She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. It was all about scenery, she could tell by his looks that he didn't really want to do it. She wasn't even sure the magazine was full.

"Can we cut this short ? I don't think we have time for this.

\- You said it yourself, we can't trust anyone here. Lancelot, come here.

\- You must be fucking kidding me," she spat out. "Arthur wanted to see me, I came. Turned out he was an arsehole, tried to kill me, I retaliated. Roxy trusts me, isn't that enough ?

\- Given your personal history, the thought of you trying to take revenge on Kingsman as a whole wouldn't surprise me, Max.

\- This isn't about me, or about your damn Kingsman ! It isn't even about Harry _dying for you_ , it's about millions of people who'll bleed to death in six fucking hours !"

He exchanged a gaze with Roxy. She nodded and put a hand on his gun, slowly lowering it. He didn't resist. She gave him the phone and asked her to give him the phials. She did. _Stay calm. You can't break down now._ She clenched her fists and came near the screens. He taped on the keyboard, put one of the phial in what looked like a microwave, unlocked the phone, everything at the same time. _Six hours._ It wasn't even enough to start a plan. And they were _three_. A geek, a newbie and a fake thug. What a team to save the world. She wouldn't even bet a penny on the bare idea.

She tried to keep a steady breath, tried to look solid and strong. Inside, she was completely broken. _I can't save one guy, how am I supposed to save the whole planet ?_ Her hands were shaking without her noticing. She only figured it out when Roxy took one of them in hers. She was staring at the screens. _She's scared stiff._

"This liquid is an antidote to Carter's toxin," Merlin finally said. "Or I believe it is. But it's weird, it's not… It's a mutation.

\- Carter said that survival wouldn't be paid, but earned.

\- I know, I was there too." He ran a hand across his face then froze. He went through files, hers, Roxy's, Harry's, his. And he leaned against the back of his chair. "Oh my god.

\- What ? What's going on ?

\- It's not about wealth or education. It's about genes. Look, these are all our blood tests. This, here, it's the antidote's content. A mutation induced by a certain degree of consanguinity. Arthur and Harry had it, Roxy as well.

\- Consanguinity ?"

She frowned. It didn't make any sense. Why would Carter's toxin be blocked by a consanguinity caused gene ? _He wants inbreds to survive ?_ Well, that would ensure that a huge part of nobility would survive but… _Oh._ Blue blood, cousin's marriages. It was in the gene pool of those deemed worthy of surviving the cull.

 _And Harry had it._ Naturally, he had it. She didn't know where he came from, who his parents were, but he was obviously coming from the high rather than from the bottom. _Never thought it could be positive to have consanguine blood._ What a fucked-up idea it was. Carter was a complete psycho.

"Apparently Carter has based his reasoning on genes. He probably produced these to ensure that the few mistakes of nature could be protected.

\- You said Arthur, Harry and Roxy have the mutation," she intervened. "What about us ?

\- We don't.

\- You…

\- Arthur's phone is receiving update texts about getting to safety," he continued. "We don't have a lot of time.

\- What are we going to do, then ? He's going to spread it everywhere, we can't struck down his drones or god-knows-what-he's-going-to-use on our own !

\- No we can't. But we have no choice. We are gonna have to deal with this ourselves. Follow me."

 _Here we are._ He stood up, took the phone and ran toward the hangar. They followed. Roxy got on the plane, while she helped him loading stuff. He was acting with a deep calm, almost aloofly, as if the world wasn't going to end in a few hours. As if his best friend, his boss hadn't died. As if he wasn't going to babysit two girls while trying to survive the apocalypse. _Seen like this, it really looks like it can't go worse._ The saddest was that it always could.

She was handing Roxy the last suitcases when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned round to face Merlin. His face was clouded, his mask was cracking and she could see the real "him" beneath the whole Kingsman thing. He was just as scared as they were, he only knew how to disguise it better. And he was just as grieving as she was. He released her shoulder when she tilted her head.

"Max, I need to ask you something. Harry didn't tell me if you… Have you listened to him ?

\- What are you talking about ?

\- Did he explain you what happened, with your parents ?

\- Merlin", she firmly said. "We don't have time for this.

\- It's not about having time or not. He wanted you to know, so answer the question.

\- He tried to, but I didn't listen."

She gulped. She wasn't ready for this conversation, the whole "he was so proud of you" thing. The tears, the sadness, etcetera etcetera. She couldn't take it right now. _One thing at the time._ Now they needed to save the world. Talking about Harry, about everything she should've heard or listened to wasn't going to help.

But he didn't seem ready to let her go. He nodded and took a deep breath. _So much for thinking you were just an emotionless brick._ He was just stronger than she was, stronger than anyone else.

"It's neither the time nor the place, but I don't know if we're going to survive this and Harry… He wanted you to know the truth, about your family. He just didn't know when and where.

\- Six hours before the apocalypse sounds good to me.

\- Listen to me," he sighed. _He looks so much older than before._ "This mission didn't require three agents. Gawain could've done it alone, but Arthur said he wanted it to be a group mission, that he wanted to get to know Gawain a bit more. Things didn't go well between them, he was way too disobedient and nonconformist for him. I thought it was genuine. I organized everything so that you and your brother wouldn't be there.

\- The ballet," she remembered. "We'd earned tickets for a ballet.

\- But Arthur changed the plans at the eleventh hour. And I understood, but it was too late. And I knew it wasn't just a mission."

He looked around. He was speaking fast, trying to take as little time as possible. She was hanging on upon his every word. _We need to get moving, you don't have time for the past !_ Maybe, but she wanted to know. She wanted to know if she'd been cruel with him. _I wanted him dead and I told him, nothing cruel with that of course._ She wanted to know if she'd loved a lie or a semi-truth.

Because she'd loved him. Not from the beginning, it was a slow burn. Something that'd slowly settled in her heart, filling the hole in her chest. That's why she couldn't feel it. She thought it was just gratefulness, friendship. But it was more than that and only now was she able to see it. It was love. Maybe not the whirlwind romance or the passionate one, but still it was real. _It'd been real._ For her, at least. And she wanted to know if it really was, or it was just a fantasy. _I want to know if I'm going to cry a real love or an already dead one._

"I saw you hiding in the cupboard. I should've told them but…" He shook his head. "Your parents were involved with a large mafia organisation and they needed to be put down. Your brother had been introduced but he didn't represent any threat, we knew he was going to take you and go if given the chance. Harry did what he had to do. But when Arthur ordered Gawain to kill your brother… I told him it was useless, but it wasn't the point.

\- He wanted to test him," she whispered. "To see if he was going to obey.

\- He already knew he wasn't going to comply. Harry couldn't do anything. If he'd sided with Gawain, he would've been killed all the same. Arthur wanted a pretext to get rid of someone he couldn't control. But he didn't think he would throw himself between his gun and your brother." He paused, looking painfully sad. She gritted her teeth, restraining her tears, not allowing herself to cry. _One thing at the time._ "Harry never forgave himself for Gawain and your brother's deaths.

\- So I was… A band-aid to his conscience ?

\- When he brought you, he hadn't recognized you. The fill I gave him in the tailor wasn't showing your family precise history and he didn't even know you'd been hiding in the closet. But I did. I recognized you immediately and he so did he when he saw you, in the control room. 'No innocent has to die.'. It was Gawain's motto, not just his last words."

She nodded. She'd always known it wasn't just a phrase she'd came up with, that she'd heard it somewhere. Until recently she just couldn't remember where it came from. _From the man who probably saved me._ She stared at Merlin. So he was the only one who knew since the very beginning. Maybe he was the one against who she was supposed to be angry, but at this point, she couldn't feel anything but emptiness. She'd been unfair to Harry. _He died thinking I hated him._ No, she couldn't break down. She had to stay strong. To fake it, at least.

"If anything, you were a band aid to _my_ conscience. I thought maybe no one would ever see it, that I could use Harry's genuine wish to offer you a future to soothe my own guilt. The only mistake he made was not to tell you the truth when he woke up from his coma. After that it was too late, you were too involved and he didn't… Want to waste everything.

\- You know what I told him, when I stormed into his house ?" She smiled, but there was no heat, no joy in her smile. Only pure sadness. "I told him I wanted him dead, and I wanted to see it. I told him I hated him. That's the last thing he heard from me.

\- It's not true. You were there when it happened, you tried to help him.

\- But he's dead." She gulped. It was painful, so painful. "He's dead and nothing can change that. But we…" She deeply breathed. _One thing. At the time._ "We can change the rest. He died so that we can save the world. So be it.

\- Max…

\- Please, Merlin. I can't talk about him now. I need to do… One thing at the time. Save the world, then grieve."

He nodded. Roxy, in the plane, called them out. She shook her head and got on, smiling to her, pretending they were just loading stuff. She didn't ask anything and sat. They soon took off. Merlin was piloting and they… Were waiting for him to tell them what they were expected to do.

She went through the bags that were packed around them. She found something that… Didn't look like anything known, except some device with joysticks and buttons everywhere. She showed it to Roxy. She shrugged and shook her head. _What the hell is this ?_ She was playing with the stick when Merlin came back and sat in front of his computer.

"What you're playing with is a prototype personal transatmospheric vehicle," he said while taping on his keyboard. "It was developed as part of Reagan's Star Wars project. Pretty basic, but it should still work.

\- You're sending us transatmospherically ?

\- Carter's going to use his satellites to ignite the toxin's spreading, so we're gonna take out one of these satellites. We're gonna break the chain, stop the signal. It'll take him a couple of hours to reroute it, which buys us enough time for you," he stated while gesturing Max to come closer. "To get me into Carter's mainframe so I can shut it down.

\- You came up with this plan all alone ? Well congrats, Merlin.

\- Yeah, yeah, you'll congratulate me later. Lancelot, you're using it. Get into your halo suit."

Roxy nodded and went at the back of the aircraft. She looked at her. _One thing at the time._ Save the world. Then grieve.


	12. XII

**Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **XII**

Merlin finally landed in the middle of nowhere, and this nowhere was made of ice, snow and mountains. _Are we visiting Santa Claus ?_ He helped Roxy to get ready, to put on the transa… Thing that was supposed to get in the clouds and installed two missiles beneath her.

It was cold as hell, outside, but she went out nonetheless. She wasn't going to let Roxy fly without telling her good luck. And she needed it. She tried her best to look assured, but she was scared to death. _She's scared of heights._ She bit her lips and looked at Merlin.

"Can't I replace her ?

\- No, you can't. I need you to get into Carter's headquarters, and Arthur didn't mention Roxy. He mentioned you.

\- Okay." She took Roxy's hands and smiled. "It's gonna be alright. You can do this.

\- Of course she can. Listen, the higher you go, the more the balloons expand. When you reach the edge of the atmosphere, they'll explode. You'll need to deploy your missile just before that, okay ?

\- Edge of the atmosphere," she whispered. "Right.

\- Once you've deployed, you'll need to release for descent. Fast."

He came back in the plane and left them together. She didn't release her hands until she couldn't keep it. She smiled and watched going higher and higher. _Good luck, Roxy._ She got on the plane. They took off again and flied toward Arthur phone's coordinates. It wasn't far away, apparently, hardly a few minutes. _Why did he locked himself in the middle of the floe ?_

He asked her to sit next to him. Now it was him and her against the world. _How romantic._ He didn't seem stressed-out, maybe a little tensed. She knew better than that. He was still just as scared as she was.

"He's waiting for the lucky winners to join him in… Well, some kind of a bunker. You're getting in on Arthur's invitation, he apparently told Carter he was going to bring you. You're gonna need to blend in.

\- Wait, why would he need to shut himself away if he has the correct genes ?

\- I'm not sure those people want to see the world bleeding to death, you know," he said while taking a syringe and filling it with one of the two last antidote. "Your arm. You need it, if they test you.

\- And you ? You're not immune.

\- You'll inject me and I'm going to be alright."

She reached up her arms and let him inject her the antidote. She winced and looked around. From all the things she didn't really like, needles were the worst. It was probably the only reason why she wasn't a baghead. _Just goes the show._ She came back to him when he pulled out the needle. Injecting him was almost as difficult as getting injected but well. Still she did it. He didn't stop his taping thing on the keyboard. _What a badass._ He stood up to grab a suitcase and put it in front of her.

"You know why you don't have the gene ?" she hazarded. "I mean, you look like the plain rich old man to me, so…

\- I guess my ancestors didn't really like inbred marriages.

\- I guess… And what about you ? You're doing what ?

\- I'm your pilot. I'm gonna stay here.

\- And it's supposed to fit me ?

\- A bespoke suit always fits. Just be grateful Harry had it made for you. Get dressed."

She nodded and obeyed. When she opened the suitcase, she smiled and recognized what she'd tried, back in Kingsman tailor. A plain black suit, slinky but handy, with those awful kitten heels. _I already hate them._ She put on the whole thing and turned to look at herself.

She faintly smiled. She looked like a dame. _Like a Kingsman._ It was perfectly fitted, she'd never worn something so fancy. She went through the suitcase and found a hair bobble. She managed to tie a bun, a little one but still, it worked. She tied her ascot, put on her glasses – fortunately it was adapted to her sight. _A real Kingsman._ The last thing that remained in the suitcase was a little box. The signet ring. _A gentleman wears it on his left hand, but a Kingsman and a lady wears it on whichever hand happens to be dominant,_ Harry had said. She threaded it into her right little finger. The only thing she added was Harry's medal around her neck. She hid it, so that it couldn't be seen, and looked at herself again. _I'm almost sexy._

"Roxy ?" she tried, using her glasses. "It's me. How's the view ?

\- Hideous.

\- Mine's pretty sweet. They made you on those fine suits yet ?

\- No," she whispered. "Not yet.

\- You've got something to look forward to, then.

\- Max !

\- We're coming up on Carter's base, gotta go. Good luck, Rox."

She disconnected, god knows how, and went back in the passenger cell. Merlin turned toward her and slightly smiled. He nodded, apparently pleased by her looks. She smiled and crossed her arms on her chest. She felt years older, but somehow, incredibly good. It wasn't her, but still it felt familiar. It wasn't Maxime Muller, but it was something that could be. Something she hoped to be.

"Looking good, Maxime.

\- Feeling good, Merlin," she said while following him in the cockpit. "Fuck me, what are those ? Missiles ?

\- Hmhm. This is November-2-4-7-Charlie-Kilo, requesting permission to land." He hid the mike and activated the analytic screen. They were hundreds of guards. "You'll have to be careful inside.

\- Careful's my middle name."

She left the cabin and waited for Merlin to land inside the hangar. _Breath. You're doing this._ She checked her hair. When the door opened, she slowly went down. She didn't really know how she was supposed to behave, but the woman who was waiting her looked satisfied. She handed her the phone.

"Maxime Muller, guest of Chester King.

\- Miss Muller, welcome," she greeted her. "I'm sure you've adhered to Carter's strict no-weapons policy, but if you don't object…

\- Of course.

\- Thank you," she said while checking her. "Do you have any luggage ?

\- Congratulations, Mycroft," she declared when she turned toward Merlin, smiling. _I'm taking revenge, pal._ "You just graduated from my pilot to my valet. Understood ? Good."

She winked at him. _I'm going to laugh._ She hid her smile and followed the woman into what looked like a… Night club. It was almost full, people were drinking, talking, smiling. Doing exactly what was expected of rich people during the end of the world. She looked around and went to the bar, asking for a martini. _Gin, not vodka, stirred for ten seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth,_ she remembered.

"Max, find a laptop, get me online. The clock is ticking," Merlin said in her ears. "Stay focused, _please._ And Lancelot, you're going great. Not much further to go."

She looked around. Someone was using a computer upstairs, some old man. _Why of course._ She climbed the stairs and approached him. She opened two buttons of her shirt and waited for him to see her. He didn't notice her until she cleared her throat. He blinked, looked at her face then slid to her cleavage. _So easy._ She smiled and leaned on the table. She heard Merlin sighing.

"Max, get me online _now._ Lancelot, you're approaching your altitude limit, those balloons won't last much longer. Prepare to engage missile.

\- Society's dead," she told the man in a sweetish tone. "Long live society.

\- Amen to that. I'm Morten Lindsterm.

\- Maxime Muller." She showed him his computer. "How'd you get online ? I couldn't.

\- Pre-authorized connections only.

\- Oh… Well, do you have the correct time ? I think I'm still in my last time zone."

He looked at his watch, she used hers to poison-dart him. He winced and fell on the seat. She pushed him on the floor beneath the table and took the computer. She tapped the keyboard, inserted the Kingsman USB plug and sent Merlin the connection. _Come on, we don't have time for computer lagging, come on…_

"Max, I'm in, get your arse back to the plane now.

\- On my way," she smiled. "Prepare yourself."

She closed the computer and started to stand up when she felt a knife under her chin. She froze and turned her eyes. _Charlie. You fucking arsehole of…_ He took her shoulders and forced her to stand up. In her ears, she could hear Roxy panicking and Merlin trying to give her advises. _We're fucked. Oh god._

She looked around. No one was watching, but Carter's office was right in front of her. A glass aquarium, with a view of the whole room. She raised her hands.

"Fuck are you doing here ?

\- Well my family were invited, obviously," he whispered in her ear. "You thought I would be grateful ? You fucked up your test and I didn't need your pity, see ? Carter ! I've caught a fucking spy-bitch !

\- You're going to regret this, you jerk."

She activated her signet ring and punched him. He convulsed and she knocked him down. _No time for you, sorry mate._ She jumped over the fence and began to run as fast as she could in the crowd. In her ears, Roxy was screaming. _Please, please, you can do it…_ She tried to avoid every rich people she could, but threw some on the floor when they didn't move.

When she got into the corridors, she heard an alarm. _Countdown initiated, two minutes._ Two minutes ? _FUCK._ She turned, saw guards, turned again and ran without stopping. There were cells everywhere, and people inside but she didn't have time for this now.

"Merlin ?!

\- Max, take a left. Two guards, up ahead.

\- If I die I promise I fucking haunt your sleep !"

She turned and dodged the bullets they shot. _Thank God I was watchful during the tests._ She jumped on the floor and made them fall to steal one of their gun. She shot on the two guards and managed to take down two others. _Lancelot, release now !_ She couldn't care about Roxy now, it was hard enough to survive this. She thanked Harry for the bulletproof suit and ran again, shooting on whoever crossed her path, jumping over bodies and trying to follow Merlin's order. Her heart was pounding, her blood, boiling. In the main room, Carter was announcing the last minute countdown. _No, no it can't be, for God's sake Merlin !_

She found another gun, emptied it on the guards, found another one and ran, ran, ran, jumped on guys, snapped their neck, blew their head. She didn't really understand what she was doing, but she was surviving and applying what Harry, Merlin and the others had taught her. _Ten !_ She rolled on the floor, hid behind a wall. _Nine, eight !_

Merlin was screaming at Roxy. She was falling. _Please, Roxy !_ She dodged bullets, shot some. _Seven, six !_ Guards were becoming numerous and numerous, and they were all against her. _Five, four !_ She used one of them as a shield, used his weapon against his colleagues. _Three, two, one !_ Nothing. Just Merlin congratulating them. _I'm going to have a heart attack._

"Well done, Roxy ! You did it !" She ran again and saw the plane. She tried to shoot. Empty magazine. _Oh no._ The guards turned toward her. "Fuck, Merlin !"

He emptied his own magazine and ordered her to come. She did when all the guards were dead. She slumped on a chair and tried to compose herself, to catch her breath back. _Oh my god I did it, I survived them._ She almost wanted to laugh. One time at the time. Now they had to actually save the world.

"Let's get the fuck out of here !

\- We can't. I can't get into Carter's machine, he's got biometric security," Merlin said, tapping on his keyboard. "You're gonna have to get in there and make sure his hand never touches that desk.

\- Are you… Fucking kidding me ?

\- I'm afraid not.

\- You…" She closed her eyes and sighed. "Let's have that then.

\- This is mine," Merlin retorted. "Take yours."

He took his gun away from her and led into the small room she'd gotten changed. He slightly turned a frame and the wall in front of them slid. A little version of what fitting room three was, in the taylor shop. She smiled and rolled her eyes. _Why of course._ There were a sniper, knives, handguns and the infamous umbrella. _Not the sniper…_ She tilted her head and chose not to choose. She put a handgun in her pocket, a knife at her belt and the umbrella. _Normally, I can survive._ Normally.

"Good choice," Merlin said. "Now we gotta get moving.

 _\- I_ gotta get moving." She deplaned, her umbrella in hand, and ran all the way back to the main room. Or at least she tried. "What's the path again ?

\- Max, Carter's using someone else's satellite. He's going to reconnect the chain and it's going to take him no time at all.

\- Perfect. Really perfect.

\- And it seems he's got a present for you. Get a move on, quick !"

She sighed and opened her umbrella. A dozen of guards came and shot on her. _I love this fucking umbrella._ She loaded it and shot. It exploded, making those who were not blasted off fall. It worked quite well until one of them came with a sniper. _Oh shit._ She tried to ran, holding the umbrella behind her back to protect herself, and almost took the bullet. It went through the fabric. _I hate this fucking umbrella,_ she corrected while taking her lighter-grenade and igniting it.

She took advantage of the explosion to abandon the umbrella and run toward the nearest corridor. Guards were already there, waiting for her. She shot some of them with her handgun, but had to double back when they got even more numerous. She shot on a fire extinguisher to run again and hide in a dead-end, protected by a small wall. She looked around. They were coming from everywhere and it wouldn't take long before they found her. _Oh no._

"Merlin, I'm fucked.

\- As I am," she heard Merlin say. "Fucking hell.

\- They're coming at me from both sides. I'm out of option, I can't move."

She closed her eyes. She could hear their footsteps, revolving around her. They didn't know where she was but it wouldn't last. _It can't end like this, I don't want to die like this, chased like a rabbit !_ She bit her lips. No complaint. No tears. One thing at the time.

She looked around. They'd gone too far, they'd apparently missed her. One move and she would be spotted. She took a deep breath and sat on the floor. Harry died standing up. She would die sitting, more confortable. Less heroic but, well. The world was coming to its end anyway. No one would be talking about her. _A gentleman's name should appear in the newspaper only three times. When he's born, when he marries and when he dies._ Her wouldn't even have appeared two times.

"Roxy, I need a favour. Take care of you, okay ? Help those you can. And… Survive this."

She didn't say anything, but she could imagine her nodding. That's what mattered. Her being alive. And the world being in her hands. Maybe she would manage to do better than her. Than them. Knowing that Merlin was going to die too saddened her. Roxy would never know about his feelings for her, and she knew it wasn't just her being stupidly romantic. The way he was screaming at her, when she was falling, the way he'd trusted her to go in the strastos-thing. The way he'd apparently never doubted her during the tests. _Maybe it's better that way,_ she thought. She knew nothing. It would be easier to survive all this without knowing how much they both loved her, Maxime like the sister she never had, Merlin…

To be honest, the only reason why she wasn't so scared or sad was because of Harry. Maybe it was better like this. She didn't have to go far without him. She wasn't sure she could do anything more than saving the world, anyway. _I would've collapsed._ She would've lost her mind.

"Well, Merlin. That really looks like the end.

\- I'm afraid it does.

\- It's been an honour," she said, smiling. "And I'm glad we've been colleagues. Or sort of.

\- I'm glad too, Maxime. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.

\- I'm no Kingsman. You didn't have to babysit me anyway."

She sighed and shook her head. Every time she'd imagined her death, it never seemed this calm. She was never this calm. She was fighting, maybe bleeding to death. But here she was, waiting for death to come. Peacefully.

Truth be told, she was tired. Harry was no more. Soon, Merlin would be gone too. Roxy was far away. She was alone and she didn't want it anymore. She wanted to sleep a little bit. To forget everything. _It would be confortable, to just lay here and forget the world._

But then, as she was dropping her empty gun, she heard detonations and firings at the distance. She opened back her eyes and looked around. _Already ?_ She felt her heart tightening. Ready, but not so much. _I don't want to die._ She didn't have the choice. _No, I have one choice._ She'd never decided for anything in her life. Her parents' death, her wandering, Kingsman, her failure, it had always been decided by everyone but her. She was going to die, but for once she was going to do it on her own. _I didn't succeed in life, at least I'm going to succeed in death._ She sighed. Again.

"Merlin, if you have time, can you activate the personal bombs ? Maybe it will save you and blow off their fucking heads. Professor Arnold shouldn't be the only one to have a scattered brain." She brushed her hair. Her bun had fallen. "I think it's too late for me, someone's heading right to me.

\- Maxime, find a way, it'll take me a couple of…

\- It's too late for me. I can't move or they'll see me. Do me a favour, and tell Roxy, please.

\- Max…

\- And try to find me a fancy burial place. I'm taking off the glasses now, you don't have to see it." She paused, hands softly shaking. "Farewell."

She took off her glasses and put them on the floor, turned toward the wall. She could hear the firings getting closer and closer. _Be still, my heart._ It was almost over. She remembered she was more scared, back when Harry and the Kingsmen had killed her parents. Scared of death, of pain. She didn't want to die, but she wasn't scared. _I'm going to join him, what's to be scared about it ?_

Somehow, it was very quiet around her, except for the steps that were getting closer. The firings had stopped, momentarily. _Maybe it's Carter himself._ What a honour it would be, to get shot by someone like him. _Sad that I don't have any spare bullet for his head._ It would have been a honour to shoot someone like him. What a fancy legacy. It wouldn't change the humanity's fate but he would not be some fucked up hero. Maybe it was enough.

The steps were now just behind the wall. _Oxford's heels._ She frowned. Carter didn't know anything about shoes, and he was wearing sneakers anyway. When she raised her head to look at death in the eyes, she froze and whispered a single word. A name.


	13. XIII

**A/N :** Haha, thank you Maruharukaru for your reviews ! And you'll just see who is the mysterious man (not much of a surprise here).

* * *

 **Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **XIII**

She shook her head. She was hallucinating. When he kneeled in front of her and when his eyes met hers, she felt her head spinning. _No it can't be…_ The man was smiling with an overwhelming joy. He had brown hair, sprinkled with grey and blue eyes. He was middle-aged. And she knew him very well. _Harry._ She stammered, stuttered, unable to produce any coherent sound. _It can't be you._ She stretched out a hand to touch his cheek. It was smooth. It was warm. _It's real._

"Harry ?" she squeaked. "Am I already dead ? Is this…

\- Not as far as I know. I thought maybe you could use a bit of protection."

She was shaking, unable to move. He opened his arms. She fell against his chest. _He's alive,_ she thought. _He's alive and he's there. He's alive !_ She felt tears rushing down her face, but she couldn't help it. _One thing at the time._ She clung on his suit, her face buried in his shoulders. His arms were encircling hers, her whole body and pressing her against him. _He's alive._

They didn't move for a while, him trying to calm her, her trying to get a hold of herself. She couldn't. The same thought was spinning back and forth in her mind. He was alive, he was alive and he was there, with her. And he was hugging her. _I don't hate you,_ she wanted to say. But she couldn't. She couldn't say anything. It was him. At some point, he moved slightly to take her face in his hands. She couldn't see him clearly through her tears, but it was him and it was all that mattered. He was smiling, gently, kindly, whispering her that it was over, that he was there. That she was alive. _And he's alive too._

When he felt his lips on hers, at first, she didn't react, she just got closer to him. It took her a few seconds before kissing him back. She'd kissed other men before, all younger but some not so much younger than him. It had felt good, awkward, bad, but it had never felt like this. It felt just right. Like something they should've done an eternity before. It was natural, and she didn't care that he was an old man supposed to be dead and she didn't care she was a child compared to him.

And all the lies, the disillusions, the awful test, Arthur, Charlie, it was gone. It was far away from her, from him, from them. The only truth she wanted to remember was that he'd saved her, he'd trusted her. He'd made her something, even if he hadn't told her the ins and outs of Kingsman, of her own past. He'd seen her something only him had seen for a long, awfully long time. She'd loved him for that. Now she just loved him for being there, for being alive.

"I'm sorry I let you believe I was dead," he whispered next to her ears. "I needed the element of surprise.

\- But the bullet…

\- It didn't touch me. Carter thought it blew my head off too, but those glasses…" He showed the glasses that were still were lying on the floor. He didn't have his. "They can make anyone believe anything.

\- You sick… Old bastard of my arse. Don't ever do this again, understood ?

\- Yes milady."

She laughed and uncoupled her from him. She smiled almost shyly and took back her glasses. She looked at them, played with them. Merlin needed to know. If he was still alive. She hadn't paid attention to the remaining guards. _Are they still alive anyway ?_ Harry was looking around, apparently counting the number of corpses she'd created. She'd probably settled a new world record on that matter. _I want a fucking medal when we're through._ And a long, burning bath. And a bed. She cleared her throat, brushed her tears and put her glasses back. Merlin was still there. She smiled.

"Merlin, I have a surprise for you.

\- Max, you're still alive ! I activated the bombs, they exploded but… Who's with…" A pause. A long pause. Very long pause. "Is that a joke ?

\- Greetings, Merlin, even if I can't hear you.

\- Tell this bastard he will have to deal with me, when all of this is over.

\- He's glad to see you," she told Harry. "Wait, you mean I didn't get to see the whole brain explosion thing ?

\- That was spectacular, if I dare say. You missed something."

She shook her head and get off her hideout. _How could I have missed that ?_ All the guards that hadn't been killed by either her or Harry had their heads missing. It must have been quite a spectacle to see their brain scattering. She sighed. What a waste of life, truly. If only their boss hadn't been so stupidly cruel and god-mannered.

"Your motherfucker, did you really think I was stupid enough to implant one of those things in my _own head_ ?" Carter screamed in the speakers. "What are you, fucking crazy ? All those innocent people killed, and for what ? You didn't stop shit !

\- Oh fucking Lord, I almost forgot about him…

\- It's still happening !

\- Maxime, the signal's started, he's spreading his toxin in the gyms and stadiums ! Get Carter's hand off that bloody desk _now_!

\- Harry, you're ready for this ? We gotta save the world.

\- After you."

She smiled and ran toward the main room. Music was playing, there were even disco balls and fireworks to celebrate _the new age._ She took a gun from a dead body and came back to her original frame of mind. One thing at the time. Save the world, then celebrate. _With Harry,_ she added. She didn't have time to spare, people were going to die. Dying already.

She stopped in front of the room and looked at Harry. He was holding a gun too. _A plan, a quick plan, any plan…_ Carter was in his aquarium with his assistant. Two against two. Fair and square. _I'm taking the arsehole, he takes the bitch._

"Carter's mine," she told him. "You do whatever you want with the gal.

\- Is this bulletproof glass ?

\- Not for long."

She ran in the bar and shot at the glass wall. Around them were dead bodies without heads, brain splattered on the floor. _That is sick as fuck,_ she couldn't help thinking. Carter jumped on the floor, stopping the signal. Music stopped. They didn't have to wait for the glass to break since the assistant jumped from the aquarium right in front of them, aiming at both Harry and her.

"Merlin, how I get up there ?

\- Run, I'll find a route.

\- Understood," she said. She looked at Harry. "Don't you dare die on me !"

She didn't listen to his answer and dodged her bullets. She tried to follow her but Harry stopped her. He didn't need her, he was way more experienced than she was. _Now I have to find a way up._ He was going to stand up and put back his motherfucking hand on the desk.

She guessed he'd done it when music resumed. _It's so tacky,_ she thought while running to the nearest stairs. She ran up the stairs, found a locked door. _Oh for fuck's sake !_

"Fucking get on with it, Max, you're not doing your jogging, the world is going to shit !

\- WILL YOU SHUT UP AND UNLOCK THE FUCKING DOOR ?"

He indeed shut up and unlocked the said fucking door. And she found herself in front of Carter. The maps around were showing a red mass expanding to all the countries. _They're not dying, you bastard._ She tilted her head and walked toward him. He looked at her with terrified eyes and tried to reach his gun. She shot his hand before he could, then bypassed the desk to get on his side.

"You thought you could get rid of me so easily ?" she whispered. She slammed her right heel between the left one. _Poisoned blade, here I am._ "You thought you could get rid of _him_ ?

\- You…

\- Shut up." She thrust the blade in his calf and took him by the collar to turn him toward Harry. He'd killed the assistant and he was staring at her. She smiled to him. "Look. This is what you created. Death.

\- It was li… Li…

\- That's right," she purred in his ear. "Get the fuck out of here."

She pushed him down the aquarium and watched him fall down like a dislocated puppet. The music had stopped. The maps were getting bluer and bluer. Only little stains of red remained. She went downstairs and flied into Harry's arms, laughing, smiling, happy as she'd never been before. _One thing at the time._ She'd saved the world, now she could celebrate. He held her tight against him and kissed her, countless of times, laughing and smiling as well. _We're alive, we're all alive !_ She walked out of his arms to take a bottle of champagne, three flutes and head back to the plane.

"You're done with the kissing thing yet ?" she heard Merlin saying, a smile in his voice. "Well done, Max. That was incredible. And you, Lancelot, I'm proud of you two.

\- Sorry Roxy, you won't have Carter's champagne but we're going to celebrate again when we're back home.

\- You're the queen of the day," she told her. "Happy to know Harry's back.

\- You know we have plenty of champagne in the plane, right ?

\- Yeah, but none of them are the psycho's property."

She laughed again and found her way back to the plane where Merlin was waiting for them. She smiled and hugged him tightly, like a brother, or a father. When she let him go, he went right to Harry and shook his head, judgemental, before hugging him even tighter. _All's well that ends well,_ she thought while filling the flutes with the champagne. They handed them to Merlin, Harry and they toasted glasses.

She couldn't take her eyes off him. He was alive, he'd fought like a war god and he was there. His hair was unkempt, he had bruises everywhere, his suit was rumpled, but he was well and truly here. _Galahad's alive, Arthur. And you're not._ She hoped he could see him from the hell he'd been sent in. She hoped he could delight himself with the spectacle of their victory. Because it was a fucking victory.

"Next time your plan is to make everyone believe you're dead," Merlin stated while drinking. "A great idea would be to let us know.

\- I couldn't exactly tell you anything, my glasses had been shattered and…

\- Ever heard of phone ?" she jibed. "I know you're old but still. You must move with your time.

\- I guess I'm going to hear about it for quite a while.

\- And you deserve it."

She raised an eyebrow and sipped her champagne. For a maniac, Carter had good taste. She lowered her eyes to inspect herself. She was covered with blood, fortunately not hers, one her shirt button had been lost in the fight… But she was complete. _I'm not even bruised_ _._ It was incredible enough to mention. She'd gotten alive _and_ in good shape of an overly disadvantageous fight.

 _And_ the world was saved, at least globally. Except for those who died from brain explosion, those she'd killed and those who couldn't have been saved from the toxin. _I guess it's not a perfect world's rescue._ But they did what they could with what they had. Two trainees, a baldhead instructor and a supposedly dead agent.

"So we really saved the world," she bluntly said. "I mean, we did, right ?

\- Of course we did. We'll do the sums later, but of course.

\- We should tell Arthur, shouldn't we ?

\- Oh yes, about _this_ ," Merlin cleared his throat and glared at her. "You'll be happy to know your protégé's killed him.

\- You did what ?

\- In my defence, he would've killed me. And he was with Carter anyway." She rolled her eyes when she saw Harry's astonishment. "Don't look at me like that ! I told him I'd rather be with you than with him and it didn't quite please him."

He shook his head, dumbfounded, and cleared his flute out. She had plenty of things to tell him, and as many things if not more to ask him. It wasn't enough for him to be alive, to show up and kiss her. She still had questions, doubts and she still wasn't quite sure how to deal with her parents' death. _Oh please, are you going to ruin the moment ?_ She laughed and emptied her own glass.

It actually felt quite awkward, being alive after all this. All the tests, the end of the world, Harry's death. Being just three fellas drinking to the world's survival, beset by bodies, inside the fancier plane she'd even been in. _It sounds like the beginning of an awful joke._ Merlin came back in the plane and asked them not to move. They did. He tapped on his keyboard and sighed.

"Now that's enough joking, I must pick up Roxy. She's going to freeze and we surely don't want that, do we ?

\- You above everyone wouldn't want to have Roxy frozen," she smiled. "Wait, _you_ must pick up her ? What are _we_ supposed to do ?

\- You're surrounded by useless plane, just take one and go back to the headquarter. Now away with you, lovebirds.

\- Are you seri—"

She got cut by the plane's engine starting up. _You fuckarse._ She backed off and watched the plane taking off the bunker. When she turned to see if Harry was still there, he was tapping on a computer. A plane appeared in front of them, a bit smaller. _Faster, most likely._ She sighed and went aboard. She sat at the copilot's sit and waited for him to prepare the… Well, take-off. She knew nothing about flying. _I still need to learn a couple of things, I guess._

They soon took off too. He only gave her simple tasks, like adjusting the buttons, checking if everything was alright – meaning, if all buttons were green and not red. She obediently complied. She stopped when she felt his eyes on her. She turned her head and moved her hair aside. _I really need to have them cut or tied._ He had turned the autopilot on, or at least she believed he had since he was not touching the commands. _Don't kill me now, it would be a waste of time and energy._

"What ? Did I do something wrong ?

\- No," he answered. "You did what I asked you.

\- Oh no, don't serve me the 'you've changed so much since the first time blabla' thing. I just don't want to die, okay ?

\- Right, you just don't want to die."

The little spark in his eyes didn't fool her. He was mocking her. _You're lucky I'm still on cloud nine,_ she thought. _I could kill your old arse._ She crossed her arms on her chest and pretended to be captivated by the panorama made of… Well, clouds. And sky. And clouds, again.

He laughed at some point and she had to bit her lips not to laugh with him. The scene was just ridiculous. She could've been on his lap, clinging to him, but there she was, faking sulk. _It's just so awkward._ Now that she was a little bit more composed, she almost felt ashamed for her tears and squeaking and… _Oh god._ She facepalmed and sighed.

"I've been ridiculous.

\- You've acted normally," he retorted. "Rather, like I expected you to act.

\- What do you mean ? You… I mean, you knew ?

\- Well, you told me you loved me before storming out of my house," Harry reminded her, smiling. "I was just hoping it was still true.

\- Wouldn't you have died, I would probably still be drawing up a plan to have you and all the Kingsmen dead."

She turned her head toward him. His smile had frozen, and he was nodding, gravely. Truth be told, it was at least partly true. His death had changed everything. She wasn't ready for him to disappear. If he hadn't "died", she would've just stolen everything she could in his house, sold it then gone to any country far away from Kingsman and England in general.

But she would've come back, sooner or later. Because of him. Because of Kingsman, of Merlin and Roxy, of everything she would've left. And maybe she would've forgiven him. Things had just been accelerated to the point that her brain couldn't really tell if she loved him, hated him or both at the same time. She just knew she didn't want him far away from her anymore. She just knew where she belonged, and she belonged in Kingsman, with all due respect to Arthur's closed mind. She kept quiet a long time before shaking her head.

"You know what was worse ? The last thing I've told you, it was that I hated you. That I wanted you dead and I wanted to see it," she whispered. "I would've never forgiven myself, if you had really been… Dead.

\- It's not the last thing you told me. You told me that I had to escape.

\- Yeah but…

\- Hearing you speaking, during the mission," he softly said. "It meant something. Even if you said that you did it for those who were confined in the gym, I see crystal clear in you since the beginning.

\- It wouldn't have changed anything.

\- I know."

He shrugged and patted his thighs. She raised an eyebrow. _Is that an invitation ?_ She stood up and moved toward him. He nodded and grabbed her arms with authority to sit her on his lap. _Well, I guess why not._ She gulped and relaxed when she felt his arms around her waist. It may have felt awkward, but now it just felt… _Natural, again._

She brushed his cheeks. Beard had grown a little bit, since the last time he'd shaved. Probably before his departure on mission. He didn't look so old, without his glasses and his perfect hairdo. And even if he had looked old, she didn't care. He was _his_ old man. _Well, he's still twice my age._ If not more. She couldn't help laughing and lean her head against his chest.

"What's so funny ?

\- I don't know. The fact that you're twice my age, the fact that you killed my parents and I can't find any good reason to be cross with you. The whole thing is hilarious.

\- I have things to tell you about your parents," he said, stroking her hair. "And things to tell you about me, I guess.

\- Merlin told me about those things. I mean, my parents' things. I don't want to hear it again for now, I'll tell you when I feel like bringing the past back.

\- It works for me." He kept quiet for a few seconds. "I'm indeed twice your age, though.

\- Please, Max," she heard Merlin say in her ears. "Take off your glass. We really don't want to see gerontophilia happening in front of our eyes."

She froze. Harry burst out laughing and so she did. She took off her glasses, turned them toward the canopy and slowly got closer to him. His hands moved on her neck, her back. She leaned her forehead against his for a few second, then kissed him. It was more avid, more needy than before. _Because now I can tell he's alive, I don't need any more proves._ Now she just needed him.

She closed her eyes, let his hands slide all over her back. She brushed his shirt's fabric, his neck, his cheeks. _Actually, I do need proves._ She stopped the kiss to catch her breath. She smiled and leaned on what was behind her back. She gasped when she felt the plane taking a nosedive and jumped off Harry's lap. He took back the control column and straightened up the aircraft. _Did I really do that ?_

"Not here," he said, trying to hide his smile. "Merlin is going to kill us for good if we crash this plane.

\- It's not even his.

\- I think he's got enough emotions for a lifetime. We're talking about Merlin, the… How did you call him again ?

\- Emotionless old baldhead. Or something like that.

\- That's it." He sighed and checked the indicators. "I hope you didn't get used to the end of the world. Kingsman is not this lively, usually we are more into… Routine secret agency missions.

\- I'm all for routine, really. And I'm no Kingsman anyway."

She shrugged and he didn't add anything. It was true. She had failed the last test, as fucked-up as it could've been. _I should've shot Charlie. We killed him anyway._ She yawned and sat back in the copilot's sit. She leaned her head on the wall and watched the scenery. And fell asleep, without even noticing, in a deep, dark sleep, the one she used to fall in when she was younger and very, very tired. And very, very careless of what could happen around her. _Or trusting._


	14. XIV

**A/N :** And there we are, last chapter ! I'll speak at the end of the chapter, enjoy !

* * *

 **Dethroned Queen**

* * *

 **XIII**

The next morning, she found herself lying on a bed. A confortable one. Not her bed in the dorm. Not the bed she'd slept in, in the squat. A real bed. With good mattress, thick pillows and blanket. She sat and yawned. She was alone in a big bedroom. A fancy one. _Wait._ She'd been there before. She looked around and looked at herself. She was wearing a big t-shirt, but only this big t-shirt. _I'm at Harry's ?_ She stood up and went out. It was Harry's. She found her way back to the living room and spotted him sipping his tea. She crossed her arms and walked to him. She was perfectly recharged, and it was new. She'd never slept this well for ages, to be honest.

"You're awake," he said even before she came in front of him. "I was wondering if you were ever going to.

\- Excuse me sir, but I saved the world yesterday. I think I deserved a bit of sleep.

\- Of course you did. I made you tea if you want some, before we go to the tailor.

\- Hmm," she sighed, pouring tea in a mug. "Where are my clothes anyway ? You _undressed me_?

\- If it reassures you, know that you're not the first woman I see half naked."

She raised an eyebrow. _Now that was coarse of you._ He didn't utter a word for a few minutes, leading her to believe he was seriously trying to reassure her with such a dubious argument. When he turned his head toward her, she realized he was just joking. His eyes were sparkling with malice. _Oh my god, am I really going to have to bear this man on a daily basis ?_ She didn't even know he was the kind of man to make jokes this early in the morning.

Well, early. It was almost eleven, but it was still early for her. She shook her head, rolled her eyes and emptied her mug. _Wait, we have to go to Kingsman ?_ She blinked.

"Wait, what did you say ? About the tailor ?

\- Merlin has prepared a meeting, for all the surviving agents. We don't know yet how many of us, well, didn't fall into Carter's trap.

\- Oh. So formal meeting," she grumbled. "I'm so not ready for this.

\- You'll find clothes for you in the bathroom, as well as the medal you were wearing.

\- The medal…" She paused and almost blushed. "Oh, _this_ medal. I'm sorry, I thought it was a good idea to… Keep something from you.

\- Hmhm. I took the liberty to take back the things that were packed in the briefcase, by the way."

He stood up and came near her. He took her shoulders and tilted his head. _Well, the things I wanted to steal you._ She brushed her hair awkwardly. Because it was awkward. She didn't think he would come back, at this point. She'd just seen him getting a bullet right in the skull. She looked away, trying not to look guilty or ashamed.

Apparently it was a great disaster, since he scoffed and kissed her forehead. She raised her chin and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips. _I'm not a child, you old arse._

"Things that are yours and that I tried to take from you," she advised him. "Things that I would've taken if you hadn't died in front of my eyes.

\- I knew you would try to steal things, you know.

\- Yeah, I know, I'm an open-book to you, blablabla." She parted from him. "Now, if you please, I need to get myself ready.

\- You can keep the medal. It was a pleasant surprise to find her around your neck, when I got you out of your clothes. At least, among other pleasant surprises."

She rolled her eyes again and closed the door behind her. When she crossed her reflection on the mirror, she was smiling. _You lovesick stupid girl._ She took a long, hot shower, dried her hair, groomed it, put on makeup and clothed herself. Another suit, almost the same that the one she was wearing the day before. A bit more formal, less practical in sparring, she guessed. The medal was put next to the sink. _You bet I'm keeping it._ She hid it in her shirt and ensured she was correctly dressed. _I'll do._

When she went outside, Harry was already ready. He showed her a box on the table. _It betters be shoes, and not those awful kitten heels._ She opened it. Stilettos. And the finest one. _Now that's what I call shoes._ She smiled and put on these shoes. She wasn't even surprised anymore that it fitted her perfectly. She gestured him to go and followed him outside. And figured out something was missing.

"Oh shit, my glasses, I forgot them. Can you open the door ?

\- I have them," he said, shaking them in front of her eyes. "Mind your language, Max.

\- Yeah, yeah, _right_."

She put them on too and sat at the passenger sit. He started up the car and drove to the tailor. She knew the way, she'd taken it by car, on foot while not being able to think straight. She went out the car when he stopped in front of the shop and entered. The sellers greeted her and asked her to go in the back rooms. _Why of course I am._

She entered the meeting room, the one where she'd met Arthur for the last time. And the room where she'd killed him. It was untouched, unmoved, but now it was full of people. Chairs were occupied. Percival, Roxy, Merlin and others she knew nothing about. But still there were six chairs that weren't used. Arthur's, Galahad's and four others throughout the table. She looked at Harry, trying to know where she was supposed to go. _I'm no Kingsman,_ she repeated herself. But he didn't sit either and Merlin stood up.

"And of course, who is late again ?" He shook his head. "Now that we're all present, we may begin. You all know why we're here, gentlemen… And ladies. We've lost agents, yesterday, in the worst way possible. Six of our sits are unoccupied.

\- More importantly," Percival intervened. "Arthur's sit is unoccupied.

\- This is one of the point I wanted to talk about but… We can begin with this. Galahad, given the circumstances, your experience and your precedents, I propose you as the new Arthur.

\- Those who agree."

The whole table raised their hand. _Wow. That's a plebiscite._ He nodded and walked toward Arthur's sit. He waited for a second before sitting on it. Everyone applauded, including her. It's been prepared, no one was even faking surprise. _I feel out of place._ It was almost heart breaking to be there, so close to what she could've been. They were probably going to give her some kind of a medal. Or a simple "hey buddy, thanks for, you know, the fact what you saved the world and our arses !". She wouldn't blame them for it, actually. She knew better now, she knew that sometimes things are just getting in the way. The rules were clear : you pass the test, you win, you fail, you lose. And she'd failed. _Easy as ABC._

"Second point," Merlin continued. "You, Maxime.

\- Well, I would've preferred to be the first one, but I guess you prefer old men.

\- A bit of seriousness, please," Percival stated. "This meeting is not supposed to be a joust.

\- Your code names are _medieval_. It would be quite suiting.

\- Maxime," Merlin called her to order. "As I was saying before you interrupted me, you failed your last text when running for Lancelot's place. However, and again, given the circumstances and what happened yesterday, we think it would be only fair to offer you one of the vacant sit.

\- And I want you to be Galahad."

Harry smiled to her and showed her the sit at his immediate right. _Galahad the pure._ She felt the heart lighten. Maybe she didn't know so much better, maybe Kingsman was not in the statis she thought it was. Maybe the stasis was just Arthur's fault. _The former one, at least._

She sat, smiling, and looked at Roxy. She applauded and nodded. She belonged here. And she would belong here until her very last breath. She still wasn't sure Kingsman was worth dying for, but Harry was. Roxy and Merlin were, too. Maybe the agency would become something she would hold in such a high esteem that she would risk her life for its sake, but for now… _I'd only risked my life for people._ And those she would risk her life for were all there. Looking at her.

It took everyone a moment before they could go back to the meeting's actual point : the aborted end of the world. Harry – _Arthur_ , she reminded herself – asked them to put on their glasses and showed them the mirrors hung on both walls. _Oh, so that's what they're supposed to be._ Magical screens.

She didn't whistle in marvel because she felt it would be quite inappropriate and watched the things that were appearing on the screens. Scenes of fear, despair, people bleeding to death. She shivered and felt Harry's foot slightly touching hers. She didn't react. _Thank you._ It was the best he could do at the moment, and she was glad he'd done it. Even if it didn't change a thing. It'd only lasted a dozen of minutes, but still so many people hadn't survived. Pictures of gym full of dead bodies appeared, disappeared, replaced by photographs of Carter's bunker. _We made a serious mess down there._ Pictures of the White House's secret office, with the president and his secretaries dead on the table.

"How many casualties ?" she asked when the presentation was over. "I mean, of many normal people died ?

\- We don't have the exact count yet, but it apparently revolves around five hundred thousands and one million.

\- That's a… Awfully large range.

\- I know, but those who make the estimation are dead by now." He displayed a list of faces, most of them were crossed out. "More than half of all the one hundred ninety seven's heads of state and government are dead. Some of them are missing, probably hidden in bunkers. Some of them are still alive, those who'd been kidnapped by Carter and kept in cells.

\- We are going to face one of the most important world conflict. It is brewing, if remaining rulers aren't quick enough to bring back peace."

She couldn't take her eyes off the pictures still displaying. She didn't care about the rulers, about the rich whose heads blew off. They'd deserved it. She didn't even care about the remaining ones. She cared about those who died during that night, who came to seek food and help and who were only served death. Of course, it was a victory. They were only five hundred thousands. _Only five hundred thousands._ And they were the poorest. She shook her head. No one apparently noticed, since they continued to speak.

She disconnected and looked around. Four chairs were still empty. _So we had arseholes in our ranks._ That wasn't actually a novelty, given the kind of recruits they'd all proposed. Most of them were unable to walk without falling, and they were all high-class pure English born. _Roxy's too, but it's different._ She was way past being paradoxical anyway, she didn't need to try to justify in what she was different. And in what Harry and Merlin were too.

"It is settled, then," Merlin declared. "Percival, you'll try to find our missing presidents, kings, prime ministers and so on's traces.

\- What about those empty chairs ?

\- Oh, yes, that was another thing we had to discuss," Harry sighed. "We lost Gawain, Ywain, Bors and Erec. Their bodies have been found in Ywain's basement. We can't afford to train new recruits for now, we'll wait for things to… Calm down, before trying to replace them.

\- But we're not going to be efficient if we don't have a full team.

\- Merlin will have others things to do than babysit trainees," she stated. "Unless someone wants to take his place, I agree with Arthur."

Most of the table nodded, but she saw some eyes looking daggers at her. _Don't look at me like that, remember who I am._ She didn't react and patiently waited for the meeting to end. Most of the agents were sent to the four corners of the earth with the mission to ensure the transition between the old world and the new one was done peacefully. _Useless, if you ask me._ There were incredible riches with no owner waiting to be stolen. Would have she still been on the street that she would've tried her luck. It was only natural.

She didn't move, when everyone went out. She stayed sat, looking at the portraits. She didn't want to see the late Arthur's picture in front of her eyes each time she would have to attend those meetings. Harry's, on the other hand… She smiled and leaned on her hand. He was speaking with the other agents, she could hear his voice. He would make an incredible Arthur. Not be crossed, impartial, but still opened to changes and modernism. _I'm in too deep if I have to find four recruits, by the way._ She would've to go through orphanages, police stations, squats to find some crooks to hire. _Or wait for them to steal from me._

"You've been dismissed, Galahad," Harry said, closing the doors behind him. "Why are you still there ?

\- I was looking at the portraits. Please tell me you're not going to add Chester King's face.

\- I'm not, but we'll have to deal with the gold book. What do you think would be suitable, as an epitaph ?

\- Let me think…" She smiled. "' _You dirty little pricks'_ , what do you think of that ? His last words. So romantic."

She laughed. Harry shook his head and sat next to her, in his chair. He'd always been her superior since the very beginning but now it was official. No wonder the other agents were disapproving. She was the perfect example of someone who shouldn't have been appointed as a Kingsman, but who had been nevertheless. _Of course_ , she'd been part of the "save the world" mission, and _of course_ it was mostly thanks to her that the world wasn't entirely populated of mutants and rich bastards. _But I'm sleeping my way up to the ladder !_

Or at least it was probably what they thought. They most probably were still seeing in her the arrogant scum of the earth who'd put their protégés in danger. But they would change their point of view. She wasn't going to give them what they were waiting for – rudeness, irreverence and disrespect, she was going to convince them. No matter how many time it would take her. _For Harry._ And herself.

"Things are going to get a little bit boring now," he said, drumming the table with his fingers. "Back to things like they were before.

\- Not nearly. A huge part of the ruling class is dead, civil wars are brewing everywhere… I don't think we'll even have the time to think about anything else than saving the world.

\- You're all about saving the world, aren't you ?

\- Well, the things with us common types is that we really like the idea of saving people that deserve it," she smiled. "And I don't think anyone would like to see a World War Three happening."

She tilted her head, glaring at him. Yes, he would do great things. And she would be there to help him doing so. Even if there were still things she couldn't yet overstep, things she still couldn't fully forgive him for, she would be there. As much as he'd been there for her to open her eyes and show her who she actually was, who she could become. It was all thanks to him. _And all because of him too._ A dangerous mix. She only knew she wanted him to say on "thanks to him" side. She'd gotten a glimpse of what life would be without him, and she wasn't exactly ready to actually have to live without this godforsaken old man.

Without really looking at her, he moved his hand towards hers and caressed her fingers softly, almost tenderly. She intertwined them with his and held his hand tight. His skin was incredibly soft. _The hands of a man who never had to work,_ she couldn't help thinking. They were still from very different worlds, and as much as she wanted to fit in, she wouldn't ever be able to erase her past. She'd been a rich kid, daughter of Mafiosi, and then she'd been a lost girl, daughter of the streets. Now she was becoming something else, something more, a hybrid between those two worlds. She would never really belong to any of them, but she was willing to give it a try. And Harry was willing to let her. _I have things to teach you, now that you taught me enough to adapt._ And evolve.

"The world is going to change," he softly said. "We'll have to adapt.

\- I already adapted to your unchanging world, I can adapt to a changing one.

\- I have no doubts about it. But my world is changing too, and you'll have to prove everyone you deserve to be here.

\- I know. I saw the way they look at me." She fondled his hand, thoughtfully. "It's just like what I said to Merlin, when you were down. I will always need to be twice as good as everyone else to be considered worthy.

\- It's probably true, unfortunately. But I know you'll manage, you never failed to impress Merlin and I those last several months. You just need to wait for them to see who you really are.

\- You mean, an arrogant brat spoiled-rotten by her sugar daddy ?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. He shook his head. _He's handsome,_ she thought. He'd always been, but she'd only allowed herself to see it very lately. It wasn't appropriate to find a man _like him_ handsome, though it was the bare truth. Even with his grey hairs, his fine wrinkles and his tendency to look like an already old man when he thought no one was around. _Maybe he would look a bit younger with a thick beard…_ She would try to convince him, sooner or later.

"I don't think I spoil you.

\- Because you think you're the sugar daddy I'm talking about ?" she mocked. "I could be talking about Merlin, y'know.

\- As far as I know, you didn't kiss Merlin. And you're not living at Merlin's.

\- You may not know everything." She suddenly stopped, realizing what he had just said. "Wait, I'm not living in your house, am I ?

\- Unless you have a house that I don't know about, you're not going to stay in the dormitory are you ?"

He raised an eyebrow, as if he didn't realize what he was saying. Hell, of course he did realize it was important. _He's offering me to live with him._ To share his house, his intimacy. Of course, she'd thought about it, she'd wanted to share his life but it was… Sooner than expected. _He's older than you,_ she reminded herself. _He's no longer into the courting thing._ Good thing that she'd never been into courting herself.

She bit her lips, trying to know what she was supposed to answer. He apparently took her silent for a bad reaction since he took back his hand and looked away. _Oh shit._ He took a deep breath. He didn't show it, but she knew he was disappointed. She frowned and stood up. She came in front of him, between his legs and the table, and smiled. He looked unsettled.

"Harry, I'm not silent because I refuse to live with you. I'm silent because I never lived with anyone, and because no one ever offered me to live with them.

\- I thought it was only natural, given what we went through and your situation.

\- It is. But…" She laughed. "But nothing.

\- Are you sure ?

\- I am. Just don't ask me to marry you."

He laughed and stood up too. He embraced her, wrapping his arms around her chest, and kissed her. She kissed him back, leaning against the table. She closed her eyes and locked her own arms around his neck. His hands ran all over her back, sliding under her jacket and caressing her shirt's fabric. _That's absolutely not appropriate._ She smiled and started to unknot his tie, to take his shirt off his pants while he started to unbutton her shirt. _Merlin's going to…_

She jumped when she heard a loud noise coming from the all over the room. She looked around, alarmed, almost searching for a gun. Harry facepalmed and ran a hand across his face, trying to compose himself.

"I've already told you, Max," she heard Merlin say through the hidden speakers. _Merlin has spotted us._ "Whatever you want to do with Harry, do it somewhere I'm not supposed to be watching.

\- Just don't look, you lewd baldhead !

\- Since Harry offered you to live with him, go in your bed and _please_ let the honest people work. _And take off your glasses for God's sake._ "

He sighed and cut the mikes. She rolled her eyes and buttoned her shirt back. _I hate him._ She was going to sit back in her chair when she felt Harry's hand on her arm. With authority, he led her outside, back in the car, back in the house, without saying a word. His behaviour spoke for him.

When they went back in the bedroom, she didn't even wait for him to undress her. It was long overdue and she wasn't willing to get him frustrated. _Oxford dictionary in the streets, Urban dictionary in the sheets._ _Well, maybe it's not going to be this boring, finally._

* * *

 _ **A/N :** _ And there it is, the end ! It could go on and on, but I think it should end here. Maybe someday I'll write some future developments, but for now, let just leave Maxime and Harry alone for some times. Don't hesitate to review, and in one word, thank you very much for your attention, your readings and comments.


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